Barenblatt v. United States (1959) held that government could compel
answers to political affiliation questions and that Communism justified
limiting First Amendment protections.
Government Investigations and Freedom of Association Archives
The Supreme Court in 1953 affirmed the invalidation of a contempt
conviction of Edward Rumely, who had refused to tell a congressional
committee who purchased political books for distribution. The court’s
decision in United States v. Rumely took as its basic premise the First
Amendment’s prohibition against congressional abridgment of the rights of
free speech and a free press.
The Supreme Court in 1959 and 1960 upheld the contempt conviction that led
to the jailing of Methodist pacifist minister Dr. Willard Uphaus for
refusing to reveal the speakers at a camp conference. In Uphaus v. Wyman,
the Court upheld New Hampshire’s contempt citation against challenges of
infringement on First Amendment freedoms of association and a right to
privacy.