Great American Court Cases | Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation

Legal Citation: 438 U.S. 726 (1978)

Petitioner
Federal Communications Commission

Respondent
Pacifica Foundation, et al.

Petitioner's Claim
That "patently offensive," although not necessarily obscene, speech should be subject to federal regulation.

Chief Lawyer for Petitioner
Joseph A. Marino

Chief Lawyer for Respondent
Harry M. Plotkin

Justices for the Court
Harry A. Blackmun, Warren E. Burger, Lewis F. Powell, Jr., William H. Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting
William J. Brennan, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Potter Stewart, Byron R. White

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
3 July 1978

Decision
Upheld the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), overturning a court of appeals ruling that speech can only be regulated...