Federal Communications Commission v. WNCN Listeners Guild
450 U.S. 582 · Decided March 24, 1981 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Federal Communications Commission v. WNCN Listeners Guild was decided on March 24, 1981 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Byron R. White 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
- 450 U.S. 582 · 101 S. Ct. 1266 · 67 L. Ed. 2d 521 · 1981 U.S. LEXIS 10
- Docket number
- 79-824
- Decided
- March 24, 1981
- Argued
- November 3, 1980
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Radio and television regulation
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Legal provision
- Communications Act of 1934
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority |
Full case caption
Federal Communications Commission et al. v. WNCN Listeners Guild et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1980-062, docket 1980-062-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Radio and television regulation”
- CBS, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Community Television of Southern California v. Gottfried
- Federal Communications Commission v. National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting
- United States v. Storer Broadcasting Co.
- Federal Communications Commission v. Allentown Broadcasting Corp.
- Federal Communications Commission v. American Broadcasting Co., Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: Communications Act of 1934
- Federal Communications Commission v. Midwest Video Corporation
- Capital Cities Cable, Inc. v. Crisp
- Louisiana Public Service Commission v. Federal Communications Commission
- Federal Communications Commission and United States v. Beach Communications, Inc.
- United States and Federal Communications Commission v. Edge Broadcasting Company T/a Power 94
- Fuller v. Alaska
Same Term, same area (Economic Activity)
- Environmental Protection Agency v. National Crushed Stone Association
- Potomac Electric Power Co. v. Director
- Minnesota v. Clover Leaf Creamery Co.
- Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System v. Investment Company Institute
- Steadman v. Securities and Exchange Commission
- Diamond v. Diehr
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