The Supreme Court upheld a 1990 statute that directed the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to consider general standards of decency and respect for diverse beliefs when deciding which projects to fund, but the Court narrowly interpreted the statute as a general exhortation rather than an actual restriction on particular expression.
In a suit brought by Karen Finley and three other artists, a court of appeals ruled that the law unconstitutionally discriminated among artists based on their viewpoints. By an 8-1 vote, the Supreme Court reversed the judgment. Speaking for five of her colleagues, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Obscenity and pornography
Rust v. Sullivan
Speech and press, freedom of