Federal Communications Commission v. American Broadcasting Co., Inc.
347 U.S. 284 · Decided April 5, 1954 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Federal Communications Commission v. American Broadcasting Co., Inc. was decided on April 5, 1954 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Radio and television regulation” in the Economic Activity area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 347 U.S. 284 · 74 S. Ct. 593 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 699 · 1954 U.S. LEXIS 2674
- Docket number
- 117
- Decided
- April 5, 1954
- Argued
- February 1, 1954
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Earl Warren
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Radio and television regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1304
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: William O. Douglas.
Full case caption
Federal Communications Commission v. American Broadcasting Co., Inc.
SCDB identifiers: case 1953-055, docket 1953-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Radio and television regulation”
- Federal Communications Commission v. Allentown Broadcasting Corp.
- United States v. Storer Broadcasting Co.
- Federal Communications Commission v. Woko, Inc.
- Federal Communications Commission v. National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting
- Federal Communications Commission v. WNCN Listeners Guild
- CBS, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Voris v. Eikel
- Toolson v. New York Yankees, Inc.
- Avondale Marine Ways, Inc. v. Henderson
- Pope & Talbot, Inc. v. Hawn
- Wilko v. Swan
- General Protective Committee for the Holders of Option Warrants of the United Corporation v. Securities and Exchange Commission
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error