Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
512 U.S. 622 · Decided June 27, 1994 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission was decided on June 27, 1994 by a vote of 5–4. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 512 U.S. 622 · 114 S. Ct. 2445 · 129 L. Ed. 2d 497 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 4831
- Docket number
- 93-44
- Decided
- June 27, 1994
- Argued
- January 12, 1994
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 534
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., et al. v. Federal Communications Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-089, docket 1993-089-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- City of Ladue v. Margaret P. GilleoLaw held unconstitutional
- Cynthia Waters v. Cheryl R. Churchill
- Michael A. Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corporation
- United States v. National Treasury Employees UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- Joseph McIntyre v. Ohio Elections CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Wisconsin v. Todd Mitchell
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Cynthia Waters v. Cheryl R. Churchill
- City of Ladue v. Margaret P. GilleoLaw held unconstitutional
- Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Louis GrumetLaw held unconstitutional
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