Speiser v. Randall
357 U.S. 513 · Decided June 30, 1958 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
Speiser v. Randall was decided on June 30, 1958 by a vote of 7–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath or non-Communist affidavit (general)” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 357 U.S. 513 · 78 S. Ct. 1332 · 2 L. Ed. 2d 1460 · 1958 U.S. LEXIS 1803
- Docket number
- 483
- Decided
- June 30, 1958
- Argued
- April 8, 1958
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- William J. Brennan Jr.
- 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
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority |
Did not participate: Earl Warren.
Full case caption
Speiser v. Randall, Assessor of Contra Costa County, California
SCDB identifiers: case 1957-144, docket 1957-144-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath or non-Communist affidavit (general)”
- First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. County of Los AngelesLaw held unconstitutional
- First Methodist Church of San Leandro v. Horstmann
- 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