Court Nixes NYPD Blue Nudity Fine
A federal appeals court has ruled that the Federal Communications Commission cannot fine ABC and selected affiliates $1.2 million for airing a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue that showed actress Charlotte Ross' nude buttocks, citing the FCC's unconstitutionally vague rules, The Associated Press reports.Get the rest of today's newsThe 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said Tuesday that the decision was in line with its previous ruling that TV stations can no longer be fined for fleeting, unscripted profanities uttered during live broadcasts. In July, the appeals court ruled that the FCC's indecency policy violated First Amendment rights and was unconstitutionally vague. In its Tuesday ruling, the three-judge panel wrote that there was "no significant distinction" between its decision in the expletives case and the NYPD Blue case.Court rules FCC indecency policy "unconstitutionally vague"
"According to the FCC, 'nudity itself is not per se indecent,'" the judges wrote. "The FCC, therefore, decides in which ...
Wed, Jan 5, 2011