Appealed From: U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
Subjects: First Amendment; Circuit Conflict; Congress; Elections; Mass Media

Decision: By a 6-3 vote, the justices ruled that state-owned television stations do not have to invite all ballot-qualified candidates to participate in debates they sponsor. Excluding those so-called "fringe candidates," the court said, does not violate their First Amendment rights.

• Read the full text of the Arkansas Educational Television Commission v. Forbes decision at the Findlaw Internet Legal Resources Web site.

• Read the full text of the 1996 lower court case, Forbes v. The Arkansas Educational Television Commission, at the FindLaw Internet Legal Services Web site. Also read the First Amendment.

Sources: The Washington Post, Supreme Court, The United States Law Week (a Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. publication)