McDaniel v. Paty

Tennessee's constitution barred ordained ministers from serving as legislators or delegates to the state's constitutional convention. Paul McDaniel (defendant), an ordained minister, filed to run as a delegate; Selma Paty (plaintiff), a rival candidate, sued to keep McDaniel off the ballot under this provision. The trial court ruled for McDaniel, but the Tennessee Supreme Court reversed and upheld the constitutional bar, and McDaniel appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.