Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign Committee

Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign Committee, 459 U.S. 87 (1982), was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with political speech, and whether a state could require a minor political party to disclose its membership, expenditures, and contributors.

Brown v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign Committee
Argued October 4, 1982
Decided December 8, 1982
Full case nameBrown, et al. v. Socialist Workers '74 Campaign Committee (Ohio), et al.
Docket no.81-776
Citations459 U.S. 87 (more)
103 S. Ct. 416; 74 L. Ed. 2d 250; 1982 U.S. LEXIS 169
ArgumentOral argument
Opinion announcementOpinion announcement
Case history
PriorAppeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
Holding
States cannot require a minor political party to disclose its membership or associates, when doing so would jeopardize the safety of those persons.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William J. Brennan Jr. · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
John P. Stevens · Sandra Day O'Connor
Case opinions
MajorityMarshall, joined by Burger, Brennan, White, Blackmun (parts I, III, IV), Powell
ConcurrenceBlackmun
Concur/dissentO'Connor, joined by Rehnquist, Stevens
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amend. I

At the time, most states required political parties to disclose their contributions and expenditures; in 1982, the Court ruled that the Socialist Workers Party, a minor party in Ohio, was not required to disclose its contributors or recipients, on the basis of retributive animus and harassment if party functionaries did so.[1]

References

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  1. ^ Greenhouse, Linda (December 9, 1982). "JUSTICES BACK MINOR POLITICAL PARTIES ON DISCLOSURE". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
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