The purpose of this paper is to examine the current status of freedom of the press with regard to past and present judicial rulings. A section devoted to "The Background of Prior Restraint" examines the historical basis for current legal decisions. In "Threatening Progeny," court decisions unfriendly to the press such as the Reardon Report, the Sheppard case, the Dickenson "Gag Rule" case, and the CBS sketching case are outlined. The public nature of trials and pretrial hearings, restraints on the acquisition of information, and additional problems facing the press are also examined. "For the Press a Brighter Side" explores more favorable court rulings concerning the public judicial process, preliminary hearings at the state court level, the Sperry case, news photography, and press passes. Generally, it is concluded that the weight of judicial authority is on the more liberal interpretations of the First Amendment. (KS)