Nevada Supreme Court rules order barring news outlets from reporting on public autopsy record is an unconstitutional prior restraint

On Tuesday, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that an order barring the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Associated Press from disseminating or reporting on an anonymized autopsy record for a victim from the Oct. 1 Las Vegas mass shooting is an unconstitutional prior restraint.

Caitlin Vogus, staff attorney at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, made the following statement:

“Today the Nevada Supreme Court recognized that prohibiting the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Associated Press from reporting on a public record was an unconstitutional prior restraint. Barring publication is one of the most serious infringements on a free press, and the court’s ruling upholds the press and public’s First Amendment right to access and report on public records. The information in these anonymous autopsy records has already helped shed light on and helped the public better understand what transpired during this tragedy.”

Read more about the amicus brief the Reporters Committee and the Nevada Press Association filed in the case here.