Law Commons^™

Pacifica Reconsidered: Implications For The Current Controvery Over Broadcast Indecency, Angela J. Campbell

Angela J. Campbell

This article tells the story behind the Pacifica decision, which found the FCC acted consistently with the First Amendment in finding that the broadcast of George Carlin’s monologue “Seven Dirty Words” violated federal law prohibiting indecent broadcasts, and considers the implications of Pacifica for two cases recently remanded by the Supreme Court. The issues on remand in the Fox and CBS cases are whether Pacifica justifies the FCC’s reprimand of stations for airing “fleeting expletives” and “fleeting nudity” and whether Pacifica remains good law in light of legal and technological changes. To tell the story of Pacifica, I researched the …