WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- A closely watched case dealing with "commercial" free speech was dismissed Thursday by the Supreme Court as "improvidently granted."
The short, unsigned opinion with the dismissal was contained in one sentence.
But an accompanying opinion by Justice John Paul Stevens, joined by two other court members, said there was never a final decision in the underlying case by the California Supreme Court, calling into question the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the United States.
At issue in the case was whether a commercial enterprise could be held liable under a state's truth in advertising law when it engaged in public debate.
A private citizen had sued Nike Inc., the world's largest sports equipment-maker, under California's truth in advertising statute because the company claimed it did not benefit from unfair labor conditions overseas.
