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Science 12 August 1983:
Vol. 221. no. 4611, pp. 620 - 624
DOI: 10.1126/science.221.4611.620
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Articles

Scientific Freedom, National Security, and the First Amendment

James R. Ferguson 1

1 Visiting scholar in law and science at Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut 06520.

The Supreme Court may soon be asked to decide an important issue of First Amendment law arising from the government's efforts to restrict the dissemination of "militarily critical" technological knowledge. To resolve the issue, the Court will first determine whether technological knowledge qualifies for a full measure of protection under the free-speech clause of the First Amendment. The Court will then address the government's stated justification for restricting the contested information. This inquiry will evaluate both the gravity of the asserted danger to national security and the likelihood of its occurrence.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)