NAACP v. State of Alabama Ex. Rel. Patterson
United States Supreme Court
357 U.S. 449 (1958)
Relevant factsFree
Alabama (plaintiff) sought to compel the NAACP (defendant) to disclose the names and addresses of all its Alabama members and agents to the state Attorney General, and when the NAACP refused, arguing disclosure would chill its members' associational freedom, the Circuit Court of Montgomery County held it in civil contempt, a ruling the Alabama Supreme Court affirmed.
IssueFree
Whether, under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, a state government can compel an association to reveal the names and addresses of all its members and agents without a compelling purpose.