The Supreme Court probably will hear oral arguments in late 2008 ...
The Supreme Court probably will hear oral arguments in late 2008 on whether the FCC can fine broadcasters for airing one obscenity during a show, industry lawyers said. The high court agreed to hear U.S. v. Fox during its…
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fall term (CD March 18 p3). But that may not occur until November, said Media Access Project President Andrew Schwartzman. He took part in the case at the 2nd U.S. Appeals Court in New York. “The Supreme Court has already taken a lot of cases for next year,” making a late 2008 hearing likely, he said. The court’s fall term lasts until June 2009. The government’s brief in the case is due 60 days from last Monday and respondents’ briefs 30 days later. But extensions of the deadlines are frequent, and the court will likely rule in 2009, he said. A decision “will give broadcasters clarity regarding the use of profanity, even fleeting profanity, on the public airwaves at times when children are most likely to be in the audience,” FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate said in a written statement late Monday.