Baird v. State Bar of Arizona, 401 U.S. 1 (1971), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled:
| Baird v. State Bar of Arizona | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued December 8–9, 1969 Reargued October 14, 1970 Decided February 23, 1971 | |
| Full case name | Baird v. State Bar of Arizona |
| Citations | 401 U.S. 1 (more) 91 S.Ct. 702; 27 L. Ed. 2d 639; 1971 U.S. LEXIS 81 |
| Holding | |
| A State's power to inquire about a person's beliefs or associations is limited by the First Amendment, which prohibits a State from excluding a person from a profession solely because of membership in a political organization or because of his beliefs. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Plurality | Black, joined by Douglas, Brennan, Marshall |
| Concurrence | Stewart |
| Dissent | Harlan |
| Dissent | White |
| Dissent | Blackmun, joined by Burger, Harlan, White |
A State's power to inquire about a person's beliefs or associations is limited by the First Amendment, which prohibits a State from excluding a person from a profession solely because of membership in a political organization or because of his beliefs.
In this case, a law school graduate who had passed the Arizona written bar examination had applied to be admitted to the Arizona bar, but had refused to answer a question as to whether she had ever been a member of the Communist party. On that basis, the State Bar of Arizona refused to admit her.
See also edit
Further reading edit
External links edit
Works related to Baird v. State Bar of Arizona at Wikisource- Text of Baird v. State Bar of Arizona, 401 U.S. 1 (1971) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
- First Amendment Center
