Amid a presidential race that may decide its future direction, the Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday with cases about tobacco company lawsuits, protecting whales from Navy sonar and a government crackdown on dirty words on television. This term's docket includes Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, a challenge by broadcasters to the FCC's policy on "fleeting expletives." The commission, in a sharp reversal, started imposing large fines for television programming with brief profanities — like a Golden Globe awards show in which the singer Bono uttered a single offending word. A federal appeals court rightly struck down the policy, which seriously infringes on free speech. The New York Times hopes the court sides with the broadcasters
