Final answer:
The legal principle that supports the approach of suppressing imminent lawless action through responsible filtering without excluding legitimate political speech is Freedom of speech. This right, protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, allows individuals to express their opinions freely.
Step-by-step explanation:
The legal principle that supports the approach of suppressing imminent lawless action through responsible filtering without excluding legitimate political speech is Freedom of speech. This principle, protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, grants individuals the right to express their opinions and ideas freely without government interference, as long as their expression does not incite imminent lawless action or fall under certain exceptions such as defamation or true threats.
In the case of prior restraint, the government is restricted from censoring speech or expression before it occurs. Only under extreme circumstances can prior restraint be justified, and the burden lies on the government to prove its necessity. Instead of preventing speech or expression that may be illegal, the appropriate action is to pursue civil or criminal proceedings after the fact.