 While working for Wheelock Whitney, Jr.'s 1982 gubernatorial campaign, Cohen agreed to pass some documents with information about DFL Lieutenant Governor candidate Marlene Johnson's criminal history to the "Star Tribune" and "St. Paul Pioneer Press" in exchange for his confidentiality.The newspapers exposed Cohen, who consequently lost his job with the campaign and subsequently sued "Star Tribune" owner Cowles Media Company.The case, which was eventually argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1991, was decided 5–4 in Cohen's favor, with the defendants ordered to pay $200,000 in damages.