Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
518 U.S. 727 · Decided June 28, 1996 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission was decided on June 28, 1996 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “First Amendment, miscellaneous” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 518 U.S. 727 · 116 S. Ct. 2374 · 135 L. Ed. 2d 888 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 4261
- Docket number
- 95-124
- Decided
- June 28, 1996
- Argued
- February 21, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- First Amendment, miscellaneous
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 47 U.S.C. § 532
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Held unconstitutional
- An act of Congress
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Special concurrence | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Denver Area Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc., et al. v. Federal Communications Commission et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-090, docket 1995-090-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “First Amendment, miscellaneous”
- Bd. of County Comm'rs v. Umbehr
- O'Hare Truck Service v. City of Northlake
- Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
- Joseph McIntyre v. Ohio Elections CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. National Treasury Employees UnionLaw held unconstitutional
- Michael A. Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- 44 Liquormart, Inc. and Peoples Super Liquor Stores, Inc. v. Rhode Island and Rhode Island Liquor Stores AssociationAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee and Douglas Jones v. Federal Election CommissionLaw held unconstitutional
- Bd. of County Comm'rs v. Umbehr
- O'Hare Truck Service v. City of Northlake
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