NAACP v. Alabama (1958)
The state of Alabama had ordered the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to disclose its membership lists. At the time, the NAACP was involved in a bitter civil rights struggle. The Court thought that if these lists were made public, violent acts might be made against its members. The Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's demand for the lists had violated the freedom of association as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Copyright © 1997 Jonathan Chin & Alan Stern