Noting that seldom in American history has a president had the potential opportunity to appoint a majority to the Supreme Court as does Ronald Reagan and that scholars and columnists claim that First Amendment freedoms of the press have been eroding with little public notice over the past few years, this paper explores the prognosis for press freedoms under an imminently conservative court. Following an introduction, the paper examines the Court's current composition--observing that those justices most likely to depart from the Court are those most favorable to the First Amendment--and looks at the status of press freedom under this Court. Next, the paper speculates on how a Reagan-appointed Court would rule on First Amendment cases involving the press, observing that past appointees have both disappointed and shocked their benefactor and that the Senate has been nonpartisan in its approval of Court candidates, suggesting that this presents the press with at least intangible hope should Reagan appointments control the Court. Then the paper discusses the relationship between the Reagan administration and the press, noting areas of hostility from the former toward the latter. Finally, the paper looks at the judges Reagan would most likely appoint to a Supreme Court vacancy, and their respective ideologies, observing that the voting records of the top three candidates contribute to a sense that Reagan nominees will probably not be overzealous in their support of the First Amendment and the press. The paper concludes with a summary of the arguments suggesting that the press may be "on the verge of some very hard times." (HTH)