Supreme Court Throws Out FCC Fines Against Fox, ABC
Posted: June 21, 2012
Share
TweetThe Supreme Court ruled 8-0 but issued a narrow decision about the vagueness and timing of the decency rules, not their First Amendment implications.
By an 8-0 vote, the Supreme Court today threw out fines the Federal Communications Commission filed against Fox and ABC.
The court did not address whether the FCC rules violated anyone's First Amendment right to free speech. Instead, the justices ruled that the FCC "failed to give Fox or ABC fair notice prior to the broadcasts in question that fleeting expletives and momentary nudity could be found actionably indecent."
The justices added that their ruling "leaves the Commission free to modify its current indecency policy in light of its determination of the public interest."
The Associated Press sums up the news this way:
"The justices declined on Thursday to issue a broad ruling on the constitutionality of the FCC indecency policy. Instead, the court concluded only that broadcasters could not have known in advance that obscenities uttered during awards show programs and a brief display of nudity on an episode of ABC television's NYPD Blue could give rise to sanctions."
Justice Sonia Sotomayor did not take part in the ruling.
Correction at 5:18 p.m. ET. An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the Supreme Court had struck down FCC rules that govern indecency. The Supreme Court did not go that far in its ruling. Instead it decided only to throw out the fines assessed against Fox and ABC.
9(MDAxODM1NzQ4MDEyMTY5MTAwMDcyNjIyOQ004))
Tags
The Two-Way
Leave a Comment
Please follow our community discussion rules when composing your comments.
News Headlines all headlines
Northeast Ohio Headlines
- Statehouse Democrats Demand More Information from JobsOhio As they prepare for next year’s statewide campaigns, Democrats continue to hammer away at Gov. Kasich’s key accomplishment in office so far.
- Medical Marijuana Supporters Approved to Collect Signatures for Ballot Issue Backers of a plan to allow Ohioans to vote on legalizing medical marijuana and allowing hemp to be grown have cleared another hurdle.
- Review of Voter Fraud Cases Instills Confidence In Ohio’s Voting System Sec of State Jon Husted says Ohio's first ever voter fraud report shows few instances of people cheating the elections system.
Move Aside, Dummy….We’re Setting Up The Next Shoot Filming continues of the Captain America sequel in downtown Cleveland. 
Buoyed By Optimism, City’s Entrepreneurs Still Inch Along With Employment Plans 2013 might just be good enough to start hiring again. That's the word from entrepreneurs across Greater Cleveland anyway.
NPR Headlines
Srinivasan's Confirmation First For D.C. Circuit In 7 Years Sri Srinivasan's seat on the D.C. appeals court was previously held by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Boy Scouts Vote To Admit Openly Gay Members The Boy Scouts' National Council votes to maintain a ban on openly gay adult leaders.
Head Of IRS Tax-Exempt Division Reportedly Placed On Leave Lois Lerner has been at the heart of a scandal over the targeting of conservative groups.
Alabama Republican Jo Bonner Says He's Leaving Congress The Congressman will take a senior position at the University of Alabama.
The Weight Of A Med Student's Subconscious Bias Medical students' judgments about obese patients could eventually affect treatment.
Help Us Tell the Story
Connect with ideastream More
Idea Center® at PlayhouseSquare
1375 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio
44115-1835
Directions
Have a Question?
216-916-6301
Send a Message
Main
216-916-6100
Toll-Free
877-399-3307
ideastream® is a not-for-profit multiple-media public service organization serving the communities of Northeast Ohio and based in Cleveland, Ohio. The mission of ideasteam is to strengthen our communities.
© 2013 ideastream.