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George Carlin is smiling 
The Second Circuit is one step below the US Supreme Court and consists of;
* District of Connecticut
* Eastern District of New York
* Northern District of New York
* Southern District of New York
* Western District of New York
* District of Vermont
Wall Street Journal....
The Second Circuit is one step below the US Supreme Court and consists of;
* District of Connecticut
* Eastern District of New York
* Northern District of New York
* Southern District of New York
* Western District of New York
* District of Vermont
Wall Street Journal....
Court Strikes Down FCC's Indecency Policy
A federal appeals court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's indecency policy Tuesday, saying the agency's efforts to restrict the use of vulgar language on air were "unconstitutionally vague."
The decision was a major win for Fox Television, NBC Universal and other broadcasters who have complained that an FCC crackdown on fleeting obscenities was unfair and violated their First Amendment rights.
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A three-judge panel of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, saying the FCC's indecency policies were "unconstitutionally vague, creating a chilling effect that goes far beyond the fleeting expletives at issue here."
The 32-page ruling was laced with many of the words FCC policy said broadcasters could not allow to be spoken on air. It sets up the possibility that the Supreme Court could be asked to revisit rulings that have formed the basis for government curbs on "indecent" broadcast speech, including a 1978 decision that allowed the FCC to fine the Pacifica Foundation for broadcasting a monologue on dirty words by the late comedian George Carlin.
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A federal appeals court struck down the Federal Communications Commission's indecency policy Tuesday, saying the agency's efforts to restrict the use of vulgar language on air were "unconstitutionally vague."
The decision was a major win for Fox Television, NBC Universal and other broadcasters who have complained that an FCC crackdown on fleeting obscenities was unfair and violated their First Amendment rights.
More
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, saying the FCC's indecency policies were "unconstitutionally vague, creating a chilling effect that goes far beyond the fleeting expletives at issue here."
The 32-page ruling was laced with many of the words FCC policy said broadcasters could not allow to be spoken on air. It sets up the possibility that the Supreme Court could be asked to revisit rulings that have formed the basis for government curbs on "indecent" broadcast speech, including a 1978 decision that allowed the FCC to fine the Pacifica Foundation for broadcasting a monologue on dirty words by the late comedian George Carlin.
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