Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
401 U.S. 154 · Decided February 23, 1971 · 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
Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond was decided on February 23, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Potter Stewart wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath, bar applicants” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 401 U.S. 154 · 91 S. Ct. 720 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 749 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 85
- Docket number
- 49
- Decided
- February 23, 1971
- Argued
- October 15, 1970
- Court era
- Burger 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
- Potter Stewart
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, bar applicants
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority |
Full case caption
Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc., et al. v. Wadmond et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-041, docket 1970-041-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, bar applicants”
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
- Ocala Star-Banner Co. v. Damron
- United States v. Reidel
- United States v. Thirty-Seven (37) Photographs (Luros
- Organization for a Better Austin v. Keefe
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Blount v. RizziLaw held unconstitutional
- Baird v. State Bar of Arizona
- In re Stolar
- United States v. Weller
- Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy
- Time, Inc. v. Pape
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