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Florida Star v. B. J. F. Case Brief
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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis
tl;dr: A newspaper published a rape victim’s name, obtained from a police report. The Supreme Court held that a state law imposing civil liability for the publication violated the First Amendment because the information was truthful, lawfully obtained, and the law was not narrowly tailored to a state interest.
Legal Significance: This case established that the First Amendment protects the publication of lawfully obtained, truthful information about matters of public significance unless the punishment is narrowly tailored to serve a state interest of the highest order. It significantly limits privacy-based tort claims against the media.
Florida Star v. B. J. F. Law School Study Guide
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Case Facts & Court Holding
Key Facts & Case Background
The Florida Star, a weekly newspaper, published a short article about the robbery and sexual assault of appellee B.J.F., which included her full name. A reporter-trainee for the newspaper had obtained the name from a police incident report that the Duval County Sheriff’s Department had placed in its pressroom, which was open to the public. The publication of the name violated the newspaper’s own internal policy. A Florida statute, § 794.03, made it a misdemeanor to publish the name of a sexual offense victim in any “instrument of mass communication.” B.J.F. filed a civil suit against the newspaper, alleging a violation of the statute. The trial court directed a verdict for B.J.F. on the issue of negligence, finding the newspaper negligent per se for violating the statute. The jury awarded B.J.F. compensatory and punitive damages. The Florida Star appealed, arguing that the imposition of civil sanctions under the statute violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
Court Holding & Legal Precedent
Issue: Does the First Amendment prohibit a state from imposing civil damages on a newspaper for publishing the name of a rape victim when the newspaper lawfully obtained the victim’s name from a publicly released police report?
Yes. The imposition of damages against The Florida Star violates the First Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse
IRAC Legal Analysis
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Legal Issue
Does the First Amendment prohibit a state from imposing civil damages on a newspaper for publishing the name of a rape victim when the newspaper lawfully obtained the victim’s name from a publicly released police report?
Conclusion
The decision provides robust First Amendment protection for the publication of lawfully Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex
Legal Rule
"[I]f a newspaper lawfully obtains truthful information about a matter of public Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo cons
Legal Analysis
The Court applied the standard from *Smith v. Daily Mail Publishing Co.*, Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolo
Flash-to-Full Case Opinions
Flash Summary
- The First Amendment protects a newspaper that publishes a rape victim’s