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For Immediate Release

A Statement by Robert L. Lynch, President & CEO, Americans for the Arts on the Finley v. NEA Supreme Court case upholding the NEA Decency Clause.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Following today's Supreme Court decision in favor of the government's consideration of decency, as well as artistic merit, when deciding who gets federal funding for the arts, Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch said:

"Today's Supreme Court ruling implies that the decency statute is actually more like the decency suggestion. It is disappointing that the Court put off answering the larger question of whether or not the government can suppress freedom of expression based on specific viewpoints. By the same token, however, we're encouraged by the Court's clear warning that the government will raise serious constitutional issues if it actually denies grants based on viewpoint. Since Congress has already imposed many structural changes to the NEA over the last few years by eliminating grants to individuals and limiting general operating support, we don't anticipate a tremendous negative impact from today's ruling. However, we will certainly be keeping a close eye on how far Congress will go to impose further restrictions."