Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
520 U.S. 180 · Decided March 31, 1997 · 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
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission was decided on March 31, 1997 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. 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
- 520 U.S. 180 · 117 S. Ct. 1174 · 137 L. Ed. 2d 369 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 2078
- Docket number
- 95-992
- Decided
- March 31, 1997
- Argued
- October 7, 1996
- 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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., et al. v. Federal Communications Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-039, docket 1996-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Bd. of County Comm'rs v. Umbehr
- O'Hare Truck Service v. City of Northlake
- Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. v. Federal Communications CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Ralph P. Forbes
- National Endowment for the Arts v. Karen Finley
- Victoria Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Rachel Agostini v. Betty-Louise FeltonAltered precedent
- Dan Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliott, Inc.
- City of Boerne v. P. F. FloresLaw held unconstitutional
- Janet Reno v. American Civil Liberties UnionLaw 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