Federal Communications Commission v. National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting et al.

Decided June 12, 1978. Thurgood Marshall delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 76-1471 · 436 U.S. 775 (1978) · Cited 406 times

Holding

The challenged regulations are valid in their entirety.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 8–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• Buckley v. Valeo · 424 U.S. 1 (1976)
• National Broadcasting Co. v. United States · 319 U.S. 190 (1943)
• Red Lion Broadcasting Co. v. Federal Communications Commission · 395 U.S. 367 (1969)
• Associated Press v. United States · 326 U.S. 1 (1945)
• United States v. Radio Corp. of America · 358 U.S. 334 (1959)
• Grosjean v. American Press Co. · 297 U.S. 233 (1936)
• United States v. Storer Broadcasting Co. · 351 U.S. 192 (1956)
• Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, Inc. v. Volpe · 401 U.S. 402 (1971)
• Elrod v. Burns · 427 U.S. 347 (1976)
• Speiser v. Randall · 357 U.S. 513 (1958)
• Federal Communications Commission v. Pottsville Broadcasting Co. · 309 U.S. 134 (1940)
• Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Democratic National Committee · 412 U.S. 94 (1973)
• Federal Communications Commission v. Sanders Bros. Radio Station · 309 U.S. 470 (1940)
• Securities & Exchange Commission v. Chenery Corp. · 332 U.S. 194 (1947)
• Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo · 418 U.S. 241 (1974)
• United States v. Southwestern Cable Co. · 392 U.S. 157 (1968)
• Lorain Journal Co. v. United States · 342 U.S. 143 (1951)
• Federal Radio Comm'n v. Nelson Brothers Bond & Mortgage Co. (Station WIBO) · 289 U.S. 266 (1933)
• South Prairie Construction Co. v. Local No. 627, International Union of Operating Engineers · 425 U.S. 800 (1976)
• Federal Power Commission v. Idaho Power Co. · 344 U.S. 17 (1952)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Food Store Employees Union, Local 347 · 417 U.S. 1 (1974)
• Federal Communications Commission v. RCA Communications, Inc. · 346 U.S. 86 (1953)
• United States v. Wise · 370 U.S. 405 (1962)
• Federal Power Commission v. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corp. · 365 U.S. 1 (1961)
• Citizen Publishing Co. v. United States · 394 U.S. 131 (1969)
• United States v. Midwest Video Corp. · 406 U.S. 649 (1972)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• Federal Communications Commission v. WNCN Listeners Guild · 450 U.S. 582 (1981)
• City of Erie v. Pap's A. M. · 529 U.S. 277 (2000)
• CBS, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 453 U.S. 367 (1981)
• Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 512 U.S. 622 (1994)
• Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 497 U.S. 547 (1990)
• FCC v. Prometheus Radio Project · 592 U.S. 414 (2021)
• Federal Communications Commission v. Pacifica Foundation · 438 U.S. 726 (1978)
• Federal Communications Commission v. League of Women Voters of California · 468 U.S. 364 (1984)
• Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission · 520 U.S. 180 (1997)
• Industrial Union Dept., AFL-CIO v. American Petroleum Institute · 448 U.S. 607 (1980)
• American Paper Institute, Inc. v. American Electric Power Service Corp. · 461 U.S. 402 (1983)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1978). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).