User:Leafyplant/Florida Star v. B.J.F.

Florida Star v. B.J.F. , 491 U.S. 524 (1989) was a United States Supreme Court case involving freedom of the press. The case determined that a Florida law prohibiting the release of a sexual assault victim's name was unconstitutional.

Facts
B.J.F. reports to the police that she has been the victim of a robbery and a sexual assault. The police report was left in the police department's press-room. A reporter working for STAR copied the report verbatim. B.J.F.'s full name is published in the STAR contrary to the STAR's own internal policy. The district court rejected STAR's First Amendment claims and ruled for B.J.F. The appeals court affirmed.

Decision of the Court
Florida Stat. § 794.03 which makes it unlawful to "print, publish, or broadcast . . . in any instrument of mass communication" the name of the victim of a sexual offense is unconstitutional.