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Supreme Court Gets Tough on ‘Fleeting Expletives’ and Brief Nudity on Networks

The Supreme Court on Thursday vacated the FCC’s rules on “fleeting expletives” and brief nudity, saying it had not given networks adequate notice of its policies and that they were overly vague. It ducked the question of whether the rules were allowable under the First Amendment. This adoption of tougher standards comes in the wake of the overwhelming public complaints.

The case, FCC vs. Fox Television Stations, was the direct result of challenges from Fox TV and other broadcasters to the FCC’s decision in 2004 to adopt a stricter standard regulating off-color language on broadcast television.