| Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued April 2–3, 1969 Decided June 8, 1969 | |
| Full case name | Red Lion Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, et al. v. Federal Communications Commission, et al. |
| Citations | 395 U.S. 367 (more) 89 S. Ct. 1794; 23 L. Ed. 2d 371; 1969 U.S. LEXIS 3267; 1 Media L. Rep. 2053 |
| Argument | Oral argument |
| Case history | |
| Prior | 381 F.2d 908 (D.C. Cir. 1967); cert. granted, 389 U.S. 968 (1967); Radio Television News Directors Ass'n v. United States, 400 F.2d 1002 (7th Cir. 1968); cert. granted, consolidated, 393 U.S. 1014 (1969). |
| Holding | |
| The First Amendment permits a federal agency to regulate the speech of broadcasters in the interest of maintaining the public interest in equitable use of scarce broadcasting frequencies. Consequently, the Fairness doctrine is constitutional. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinion | |
| Majority | White, joined by Warren, Black, Harlan, Brennan, Stewart, Marshall |
| Douglas took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. | |
| Laws applied | |
| U.S. Const. amend. I | |
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission, 395 U.S. 367 (1969), was a seminal First Amendment ruling at the United States Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that radio broadcasters enjoyed free speech rights under the First Amendment, but those rights could be partially restricted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to maintain the public interest in equitable use of scarce broadcasting frequencies. As a result, the FCC's Fairness Doctrine was found to be constitutional.[1]