Case Categories: Government Investigations and Freedom of Association

• Barenblatt v. United States (1959)

  Barenblatt v. United States (1959) held that government could compel answers to political affiliation questions and that Communism justified limiting First...

• Braden v. United States (1961)

  Braden v. United States (1961) upheld the conviction of a man who refused to answer questions before the HUAC. Justice Hugo Black dissented on First Amendment...

• DeGregory v. Attorney General of New Hampshire (1966)

  DeGregory v. Attorney General of New Hampshire (1966) used the First Amendment to overturn a prison term for a man who refused to testify regarding previous...

• Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (1963)

  In Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, the court held that the state must show compelling interest to intrude on First Amendment rights...

• Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957)

  Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957) overturned a contempt citation of professor who refused to disclose the contents of a speech. The Court said First Amendment...

• United States v. Rumely (1953)

  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...

• Uphaus v. Wyman (1959, 1960)

  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...

• Watkins v. United States (1957)

  Watkins v. United States (1957) implicated First Amendment rights and overturned the conviction of a man who refused to answer questions of a Congressional...

• Wilkinson v. United States (1961)

  In Wilkinson v. United States (1961), the Supreme Court rejected claims that the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee violated the First Amendment...