Nostrand v. Little
362 U.S. 474 · Decided May 2, 1960 · 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
Nostrand v. Little was decided on May 2, 1960 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned 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
- 362 U.S. 474 · 80 S. Ct. 840 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 892 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 1231
- Docket number
- 342
- Decided
- May 2, 1960
- Argued
- March 31, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, government employees
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- 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 | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Nostrand et al. v. Little et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-073, docket 1959-073-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, government employees”
- Baggett v. BullittLaw held unconstitutional
- Elfbrandt v. RussellLaw held unconstitutional
- Whitehill v. ElkinsLaw held unconstitutional
- Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cole v. Richardson
Cases on the same legal provision: Fourteenth Amendment (due process)
- Thompson v. City of Louisville
- Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
- Blackburn v. Alabama
- Thomas v. Virginia
- Spano v. New York
- Safeway Stores, Inc. v. Oklahoma Retail Grocers Association, Inc.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Smith v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Bates v. City of Little RockLaw held unconstitutional
- Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
- Talley v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Flemming v. Nestor
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