Boy Scouts of America v. Dale
United States Supreme Court
530 U.S. 640 (2000)
The Boy Scouts (defendant), a private organization dedicated to instilling values including being "morally straight" and "clean," revoked the adult membership and assistant scoutmaster status of Dale (plaintiff), a former Eagle Scout, after learning he was an openly gay rights activist. Dale sued under New Jersey's public accommodations law, and New Jersey courts sided with him, ordering his reinstatement; the Boy Scouts sought Supreme Court review, arguing the law as applied violated their First Amendment right to expressive association.
Whether applying a state public accommodations law to force a private expressive organization to accept a member whose presence would significantly affect the organization's ability to advocate its viewpoint violates the First Amendment right to freedom of expressive association.