Sable Communications of California, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
492 U.S. 115 · Decided June 23, 1989 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Sable Communications of California, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission was decided on June 23, 1989 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Byron R. White wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Obscenity, federal” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 492 U.S. 115 · 109 S. Ct. 2829 · 106 L. Ed. 2d 93 · 1989 U.S. LEXIS 3135
- Docket number
- 88-515
- Decided
- June 23, 1989
- Argued
- April 19, 1989
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Byron R. White
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Obscenity, federal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 223
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority |
Full case caption
Sable Communications of California, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1988-139, docket 1988-139-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Obscenity, federal”
- Ferris J. Alexander, Sr. v. United States
- United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc.
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- Pinkus v. United States
- Smith v. United States
- Marks v. United States
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Carlucci v. Doe
- Texas Monthly, Inc. v. BullockLaw held unconstitutional
- Fort Wayne Books, Inc. v. Indiana
- Eu v. San Francisco County Democratic Central CommitteeLaw held unconstitutional
- Frazee v. Illinois Department of Employment Security
- City of Dallas v. Stanglin
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