First Methodist Church of San Leandro v. Horstmann
357 U.S. 568 · Decided June 30, 1958 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
First Methodist Church of San Leandro v. Horstmann was decided on June 30, 1958 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath or non-Communist affidavit (general)” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 357 U.S. 568 · 78 S. Ct. 1380 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 1546 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 672
- Docket number
- 485
- Decided
- June 30, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (no oral argument)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Did not participate: Earl Warren.
Full case caption
First Methodist Church of San Leandro et al. v. Horstmann, Assessor of Alameda County, California, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-153, docket 1957-153-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath or non-Communist affidavit (general)”
- Speiser v. RandallLaw held unconstitutional
- First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. County of Los AngelesLaw held unconstitutional
- National Labor Relations Board v. Dant
- National Labor Relations Board v. Highland Park Manufacturing Co.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Staub v. City of BaxleyLaw held unconstitutional
- In re Sawyer
- Kingsley International Pictures Corp. v. Regents of the University of the State of New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Kingsley Books, Inc. v. Brown
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Vogt, Inc.
- Butler v. MichiganLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Rowoldt v. Perfetto
- Barr v. Matteo
- Staub v. City of BaxleyLaw held unconstitutional
- Sacher v. United States
- Kent v. Dulles
- Dayton v. Dulles
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error