FCC appeals Janet Jackson case to Supreme Court

Court Alerts

The Federal Communications Commission has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the indecency case over Janet Jackson's breast-baring performance at the 2004 Super Bowl.

The FCC this week appealed a ruling by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, saying that court was wrong to throw out the case and a $550,000 fine against CBS Corp. in July.

The appellate court cited the FCC practice of not considering objectionable images indecent if they are "fleeting."

In Jackson's halftime show at the 2004 Super Bowl, which spawned the case, she briefly flashed a breast as she performed with Justin Timberlake.

The FCC said the court incorrectly applied a rule — since changed — regarding expletives that required a profanity be repeated before it is deemed indecent. The FCC contends the rule didn't apply to images.

Reaction to the appeal was swift from the Media Access Project, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the appellate court on behalf of a group of TV writers, directors and producers.

"The impact of the FCC's decision on the creative process is very profound," said the group's chief executive, Andrew Jay Schwartzman. "The FCC's decisions in this area have made it very difficult for creative artists to exercise their craft."

At the time, broadcasters did not employ a video delay for live events, a practice that changed within a week of the game.

The FCC also has an appeal pending before the U.S. Supreme Court in a New York case involving profanity uttered by Cher during a December 2002 music awards show and by Nicole Richie during a December 2003 awards show, both carried on Fox stations.

The agency has asked the court to rule in that earlier case before taking on the Jackson incident.

Related listings

  • Army vet guilty of conspiracy, not murder in Colo.

    Army vet guilty of conspiracy, not murder in Colo.

    Court Alerts 11/20/2008

    A jury acquitted a former Fort Carson soldier of first-degree murder in the slaying of a fellow Iraq war veteran but convicted him of a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder.Louis Bressler, 25, was convicted Wednesday in connection with the De...

  • Ex-NJ state Sen. Bryant guilty of fraud, bribery

    Ex-NJ state Sen. Bryant guilty of fraud, bribery

    Court Alerts 11/19/2008

    The former chairman of the state Senate's budget committee was convicted Tuesday of bribery and pension fraud, making him one of the most powerful New Jersey public officials found guilty of federal corruption in recent years.Former state Sen. Wayne ...

  • Gay arts group sues Milwaukee for discrimination

    Gay arts group sues Milwaukee for discrimination

    Court Alerts 11/11/2008

    A gay arts group has sued the city of Milwaukee in federal court for violating its free speech rights three years ago when officials shut down a musical revue featuring nudity.The city temporarily shut down performances of "Naked Boys Singing!" in Au...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read