Law Commons^™

The Supreme Court Strikes Down The Public Broadcasting Editorial Ban: Federal Communications Commission V. League Of Women Voters, Michael R. Gradisher

Pepperdine Law Review

In Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters, the United States Supreme Court struck down a statute on first amendment grounds which prohibited public broadcasters from editorializing. Those who favor the deregulation of broadcasting and the institution of a free market system hail the decision as a rare step in the right direction, after years of unquestioned congressional right to freely regulate broadcasting. They point to the Court's apparent willingness to reconsider its historical view of broadcasting, which has always received less first amendment protection than the print medium. However, the Court confirms its longstanding view that broadcasting may …