CaseTrail

First Methodist Church of San Leandro v. Horstmann

357 U.S. 568 · Decided June 30, 1958 · Supreme Court of the United States

Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.

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

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.

Other cases on “Loyalty oath or non-Communist affidavit (general)”

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

See all

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