Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
341 U.S. 716 · Decided June 4, 1951 · 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
Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles was decided on June 4, 1951 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath, government employees” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 716 · 71 S. Ct. 909 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 1317 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 1731
- Docket number
- 453
- Decided
- June 4, 1951
- Argued
- April 25, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, government employees
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Article I, Section 10 (state bill of attainder or ex post facto law)
- Type of law
- Constitution
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Garner et al. v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-098, docket 1950-098-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, government employees”
- Nostrand v. Little
- Baggett v. BullittLaw held unconstitutional
- Elfbrandt v. RussellLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitehill v. ElkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cole v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Article I, Section 10 (state bill of attainder or ex post facto law)
- Weaver v. GrahamLaw held unconstitutional
- Miller v. FloridaLaw held unconstitutional
- Collins v. YoungbloodAltered precedent
- California Department of Corrections v. Jose Ramon Morales
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
- J. Wayne Garner v. Robert L. Jones
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Niemotko v. Maryland
- Kunz v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Feiner v. New York
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
- National Labor Relations Board v. Highland Park Manufacturing Co.
- Dennis v. United States
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