Case Summary and Outcome

The Supreme Court of the United States reversed a contempt order issued against the National Associating for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for failing to disclose its members’ identifying information. The State of Alabama sought to obtain a membership list from the state’s NAACP chapter. When the NAACP refused, a federal court found the NAACP in contempt and fined it $10,000. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the right of association is protected by the 1st and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution.

Facts

The State of Alabama sought to obtain a list of members enrolled in the NAACP, their addresses, and their relation to the NAACP, claiming that the organization violated a state statute governing intrastate businesses.  A court granted the state a restraining order that prohibited the NAACP from further engaging in business in Alabama, and issued a subpoena to obtain the NAACP’s records. When the NAACP did not comply with the subpoena requests, a court found the organization to be in contempt of court, and fined the NAACP $10,000. The NAACP moved to dismiss the contempt judgment, which the court denied. The U.S. Supreme Court found the lower court’s ruling incorrect, and remanded for a ruling consistent with its judgment.

On remand, the Alabama Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s contempt judgment, on the belief that the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal was based on a “mistaken premise.” The U.S. Supreme Court again reversed and remanded the case.

After the second remand, the NAACP filed suit in U.S. District Court. The organization alleged that the restraining order and  Alabama’s state courts failure to adhere to the U.S. Supreme Court’s directives deprived the NAACP of its constitutional right of the freedom to assemble. The district court dismissed the petition. The court of appeals vacated the dismissal and remanded the case with the order that the district court retain jurisdiction primarily to ensure that the NAACP received a fair hearing in state court. The U.S. Supreme Court vacated the court of appeal’s decision, and ordered the U.S. District Court to hold a hearing on the merits to decide whether the NAACP’s constitutional right to association was violated.

Decision Overview

Harlan, J., delivered the opinion of the Court. “Effective advocacy of both public and private points of view, particularly controversial ones, is undeniably enhanced by group association.” US, Fed., NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449, 460 (1958). This right of association is protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments, and it is immaterial if the beliefs are political, economic, religious, or cultural. The statute compelling disclosure of affiliation with advocacy groups chills an individual’s right to freedom of association. Privacy of an advocacy group’s membership is “indispensable to [the] preservation of freedom of association.” US, Fed., NAACP v. Alabama, 357 U.S. 449, 462 (1958).

The Court reiterated that when the government tries to control or prevent association activities, it may not do so when the “means which sweep unnecessarily broad[] and thereby invade the area of protected freedoms,” even if the government purpose is “legitimate and substantial.” US, Fed., NAACP v. Alabama, 377 U.S. 288, 307 (1964).