April 21 [Updated 16:45 EST] -- Ozzy Osbourne told MTV News that he is willing to "take his case to the Supreme Court if necessary" to secure Marilyn Manson's right to perform on the Ozzfest tour.

Osbourne says he's suing the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority on free speech grounds, because the New Jersey Meadowlands won¹t let Marilyn Manson play there on June 15 as part of his Ozzfest tour.

On Saturday, the Meadowlands refused to put tickets for the show on sale as originally scheduled, because Osbourne would not remove Manson from the bill. The Meadowlands had cited potential crowd control problems, and a possibly offensive show as reasons for wanting Manson off the bill.

In a statement to MTV News, Ozzy noted that he himself had gone to court over 10 years ago to fight threatened concert bans in cities from Boston to Las Vegas, and Osbourne said he's willing to go the legal distance in this latest battle.

Manson, of course, has been raising

hackles from coast to coast since the winter, but only last week did the band have a show actually canceled due to local civic and religious pressure: that was the April 20 show slated for Columbia, South Carolina.

Ozzy has been very vocal since Meadowlands officials issued their ultimatum to Osbourne, and in a statement issued late Friday, Ozzy invoked the First Amendment in stating that his tour will roll on as planned. Osbourne went on to call moves to keep Manson off the Ozzfest bill a form of "blackmail.

I will not be putting any limits on any of the Ozzfests," Ozzy said. "I have never conformed to everyday conventional ideas or rules. Everyone has the right to exercise their own beliefs and standards. Everyone has the right to self-censorship. Nobody can tell an individual what they can or cannot say. Nobody has the right to tell me who I can perform with.

Also see: Ozzy Osbourne.