MC 401 – Final Exam – Dr. Bragg – 2026 – Study Guide
and Practice Material
Tortious Interference: - correct answer ✔✔ Wrongfully disrupting another's business
relationships (ex: Texaco v. Pennzoil
= Texaco wrongfully stole Getty Oil away after Pennzoil already had a deal.)
Failure to Disclose: - correct answer ✔✔ PR pros must share all necessary facts; lying or omitting
important facts can lead to lawsuits.
Insider Trading: - correct answer ✔✔ PR officials cannot use confidential company information
for stock trading (ex: Martha Stewart case = Sold stock using secret info)
Unfair Competition: - correct answer ✔✔ Illegal to copy or confuse consumers about the source
of a product/service.
Passing off your goods/services as another's violates the Lanham Act. (ex: advertising a shirt as
nike when it is shein)
Common Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Judge-made law built over time; based on "precedent"
(stare decisis = "let the decision stand"). (ex: zenger case, truth as a defense before it was
actually the law which set the precendent on other cases for freedom of the press)
Equity Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Courts issue orders (injunction:
A court command telling someone to start doing something or stop doing something.) to stop
harm; focuses on fairness rather than money.
Statutory Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Laws passed by legislatures (specific and detailed- ex:
Communications Act of 1934 created the FCC.)
,Constitutional Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Supreme law from the Constitution (ex: First
Amendment rights).
Administrative Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Regulations made by agencies like FCC, FTC, FDA, SEC.
International Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Treaties, agreements between countries.
Supreme Court Term: - correct answer ✔✔ Starts first Monday in October; runs 1 year.
Writ of Certiorari: - correct answer ✔✔ Formal agreement by SCOTUS to hear a case.
Rule of 4: - correct answer ✔✔ At least 4 justices must vote to accept a case for review.
Jurisdiction: - correct answer ✔✔ The authority a court has over certain types of cases
(geographic area, subject matter- ex: car crash in Alabama, courts in alabama would deal with
it).
Appellate Jurisdiction: - correct answer ✔✔ Appeals courts review lower court decisions, no
new trials.
Per Curiam Opinion: - correct answer ✔✔ Unsigned decision by the Court.
Memorandum Order: - correct answer ✔✔ Short court ruling without a full opinion.
Obscenity - correct answer ✔✔ Speech that is NOT protected by the First Amendment.
, Miller Test for Obscenity: - correct answer ✔✔ Prurient Interest: Appeals to unhealthy sexual
desires (local standards).
Patently Offensive: Clearly offensive sexual content.
Lacks Serious Value: No serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
Miller v. California (1973) &
FCC v. Pacifica (1978):
(Obscenity cases) - correct answer ✔✔ Miller v. California = Sent unsolicited adult ads in mail,
court ruled obscenity not protected.
FCC v. Pacifica = Radio aired George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" , FCC can regulate indecent
speech on public airwaves at certain times to protect children, etc.
CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act): - correct answer ✔✔ Libraries must filter internet
content to block obscene materials.
Good night and Good luck - correct answer ✔✔ What happened: Journalist Edward R. Murrow
challenges Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist fear tactics.
Press Freedom: Journalists must hold the government accountable.
Reporting: Reporting the truth can be risky but needed for public sake.
Effect: Fear of retaliation can silence free speech.
and Practice Material
Tortious Interference: - correct answer ✔✔ Wrongfully disrupting another's business
relationships (ex: Texaco v. Pennzoil
= Texaco wrongfully stole Getty Oil away after Pennzoil already had a deal.)
Failure to Disclose: - correct answer ✔✔ PR pros must share all necessary facts; lying or omitting
important facts can lead to lawsuits.
Insider Trading: - correct answer ✔✔ PR officials cannot use confidential company information
for stock trading (ex: Martha Stewart case = Sold stock using secret info)
Unfair Competition: - correct answer ✔✔ Illegal to copy or confuse consumers about the source
of a product/service.
Passing off your goods/services as another's violates the Lanham Act. (ex: advertising a shirt as
nike when it is shein)
Common Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Judge-made law built over time; based on "precedent"
(stare decisis = "let the decision stand"). (ex: zenger case, truth as a defense before it was
actually the law which set the precendent on other cases for freedom of the press)
Equity Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Courts issue orders (injunction:
A court command telling someone to start doing something or stop doing something.) to stop
harm; focuses on fairness rather than money.
Statutory Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Laws passed by legislatures (specific and detailed- ex:
Communications Act of 1934 created the FCC.)
,Constitutional Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Supreme law from the Constitution (ex: First
Amendment rights).
Administrative Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Regulations made by agencies like FCC, FTC, FDA, SEC.
International Law: - correct answer ✔✔ Treaties, agreements between countries.
Supreme Court Term: - correct answer ✔✔ Starts first Monday in October; runs 1 year.
Writ of Certiorari: - correct answer ✔✔ Formal agreement by SCOTUS to hear a case.
Rule of 4: - correct answer ✔✔ At least 4 justices must vote to accept a case for review.
Jurisdiction: - correct answer ✔✔ The authority a court has over certain types of cases
(geographic area, subject matter- ex: car crash in Alabama, courts in alabama would deal with
it).
Appellate Jurisdiction: - correct answer ✔✔ Appeals courts review lower court decisions, no
new trials.
Per Curiam Opinion: - correct answer ✔✔ Unsigned decision by the Court.
Memorandum Order: - correct answer ✔✔ Short court ruling without a full opinion.
Obscenity - correct answer ✔✔ Speech that is NOT protected by the First Amendment.
, Miller Test for Obscenity: - correct answer ✔✔ Prurient Interest: Appeals to unhealthy sexual
desires (local standards).
Patently Offensive: Clearly offensive sexual content.
Lacks Serious Value: No serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.
Miller v. California (1973) &
FCC v. Pacifica (1978):
(Obscenity cases) - correct answer ✔✔ Miller v. California = Sent unsolicited adult ads in mail,
court ruled obscenity not protected.
FCC v. Pacifica = Radio aired George Carlin's "Seven Dirty Words" , FCC can regulate indecent
speech on public airwaves at certain times to protect children, etc.
CIPA (Children's Internet Protection Act): - correct answer ✔✔ Libraries must filter internet
content to block obscene materials.
Good night and Good luck - correct answer ✔✔ What happened: Journalist Edward R. Murrow
challenges Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist fear tactics.
Press Freedom: Journalists must hold the government accountable.
Reporting: Reporting the truth can be risky but needed for public sake.
Effect: Fear of retaliation can silence free speech.
