CBS, Inc. v. FCC

CBS, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued March 3, 1981 Decided July 1, 1981
Full case name	Columbia Broadcasting System, Incorporated, et al., Appellants v. Federal Communications Commission, et al.
Citations	453 U.S. 367 (more)
Case history
Prior	202 U.S. App. D.C. 369, 629 F.2d 1, affirmed
Holding
Section 312 (a) (7) created an affirmative, promptly enforceable right of reasonable access to the use of broadcast stations for individual candidates seeking federal elective office, which went beyond merely codifying prior FCC policies developed under the public interest standard.
Court membership
Chief Justice Warren E. Burger Associate Justices William J. Brennan Jr. · Potter Stewart Byron White · Thurgood Marshall Harry Blackmun · Lewis F. Powell Jr. William Rehnquist · John P. Stevens
Case opinions
Majority	Burger, joined by Brennan, Stewart, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell
Dissent	White, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens
Dissent	Stevens

CBS, Inc. v. FCC, 453 U.S. 367 (1981), is a United States Supreme Court decision finding that the Federal Communications Act of 1934 created a new, individual right to broadcast access for candidates for federal office.^[1] Under this decision broadcast media were found to have an obligation to allow any legally qualified federal candidate running for public office to purchase network time under section 312(a)(7) of the 1976 amendment to the Communications Act.^[2]