On 5 August 1735, John Peter Zenger was acquitted of seditious libel, a charge stemming from criticisms of the government published in The New York Weekly Journal. The acquittal was based on the argument that the printed criticisms were true.
Zenger, a printer, had been arrested in November 1734 after two grand juries declined to issue an indictment. He spent eight months in jail before his case came to trial. His defence, led by Andrew Hamilton, contended that truth should be a defence against libel.
The jury returned a 'not guilty' verdict within 10 minutes, despite the Chief Justice advising that Zenger had printed the Journal, which constituted libel. This outcome, described as jury nullification, did not change the law but influenced perceptions of criticism against authority.