Predicated on the belief that communications students are capable of understanding communications law and the processes that created it, this book examines U.S. Supreme Court opinions on the First Amendment. The book addresses the following topics: 1) the American legal system and freedom of expression (in introductory chapters); 2) defamation; 3) privacy; 4) copyright and trademark; 5) national security; 6) obscenity; 7) advertising regulation; 8) press coverage of the administration of justice; 9) confidentiality in newsgathering; 10) newsgathering from public sources, including access to public records and meetings; 11) ownership of the media and related problems; 12) access to the media; 13) introduction to broadcasting; 14) legal control of broadcast programming for political and nonpolitical speech; and 15) cable and new technologies. Appendixes include a copy of the U.S. Constitution; the Communications Act of 1934; the code of ethics of the Society of Professional Journalists; a Federal Communications Commission organizational chart; and the Supreme Court opinion handed down on "Hustler Magazine and Larry C. Flynt v. Jerry Falwell." A glossary of legal terms is also appended, and a table of cited cases is included. (MM)