Skip to main content
· 3/1/1965

Freedman v. Maryland

Citations

  • 380 U.S. 51
  • 85 S. Ct. 734
  • 13 L. Ed. 2d 649
  • 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1732
  • 1 Media L. Rep. (BNA) 1126

About this case

Freedman v. Maryland

Learn more

This article **needs more citations **. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed .
Find sources: "Freedman v. Maryland"  – news  · newspapers  · books  · scholar  · JSTOR (August 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message )

Freedman v. Maryland, 380 U.S. 51 (1965), was a United States Supreme Court case that ended government-operated rating boards with a decision that a rating board could only approve a film and had no power to ban a film. The ruling also concluded that a rating board must either approve a film within a reasonable time, or go to court to stop a film from being shown in theatres. Other court cases determined that television stations are federally licensed, so local rating boards have no jurisdiction over films shown on television. When the movie industry set up its own rating system—the Motion Picture Association of America —most state and local boards ceased operating.[1]

Contents

Background

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=1 "Edit section: Background")

Ronald Freedman challenged the law of Maryland that films must be submitted to the Maryland State Board of Censors before being shown in theaters, claiming it unconstitutional; violating freedom of expression granted by the First Amendment .

Opinion of the Court

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=2 "Edit section: Opinion of the Court")

In a unanimous opinion by Justice Brennan , the Court held that a rating board could only approve a film and had no power to ban a film.

See also

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=3 "Edit section: See also")

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

**Freedman v. Maryland **

References

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=4 "Edit section: References")

  1. Wittern-Keller, Laura. "Freedman v. Maryland" . www.mtsu.edu. Retrieved March 22, 2023.

Further reading

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=5 "Edit section: Further reading")

  • Gregory, Donald Dean (1976). Compliance in Three Cities: The Impact of Freedman v. Maryland. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University. OCLC  11095076 .
  • Hunt, Richard C. (1966). "Constitutional Law: Applicability of Freedman v. Maryland Standards to Censorship Practices of United States Customs Officials". _California Law Review _. 54 (4): 1832–1843. doi :10.2307/3479402 . JSTOR  3479402 .
  • Verani, John R. (1965). "Motion Picture Censorship and the Doctrine of Prior Restraint". Houston Law Review. 3: 11.

External links

(https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&action=edit&section=6 "Edit section: External links")

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Freedman_v._Maryland&oldid=1351342297 "

Editorial context from Wikipedia (CC-BY-SA 4.0).

Judges: Brennan, Douglas, Black

Read full opinion on CourtListener

Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).

This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.