On June 19, 2020, the Knight Institute and the ACLU submitted an amicus brief in United States v. Bolton, a lawsuit filed by the government against John Bolton seeking to suppress the publication of his book about his time in the White House. The suit argues that the publication of Bolton's book would reveal classified information and violate Bolton's prepublication-review obligations, and it asks the court to issue a prior restraint against Bolton, his publisher, and the bookstores that have copies of the book.

The Knight Institute and the ACLU’s brief argues that the government's request for an injunction against the publication of Bolton's book is subject to the strictest First Amendment scrutiny, and that it fails that scrutiny and should be rejected.

Status: On June 20, 2020, the district court denied the government's motion seeking an injunction against the publication of Bolton's book.