Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control Board

382 U.S. 70 · Decided November 15, 1965 · Supreme Court of the United States

At a glance

Albertson v. Subversive Activities Control Board was decided on November 15, 1965 unanimously (8–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Internal security legislation” in the First Amendment area. SCDB records that the Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional.

Read the opinion

• CourtListener (Free Law Project) — opinion text
• Library of Congress — official U.S. Reports scan

Case details

How the Justices voted

Did not participate: Byron R. White.

Full case caption

Albertson et al. v. Subversive Activities Control Board

SCDB identifiers: case 1965-010, docket 1965-010-01.

Related decisions

Other cases on “Internal security legislation”

• United States v. BrownAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
  381 U.S. 437Decided June 7, 19655–4Earl Warren
• Zemel v. Rusk
  381 U.S. 1Decided May 3, 19656–3Earl Warren
• American Committee for Protection of Foreign Born v. Subversive Activities Control Board
  380 U.S. 503Decided April 26, 19655–3Per curiam
• Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade v. Subversive Activities Control Board
  380 U.S. 513Decided April 26, 19655–3Per curiam
• Dennis v. United States
  384 U.S. 855Decided June 20, 19667–2Abe Fortas
• United States v. Laub
  385 U.S. 475Decided January 10, 19679–0Abe Fortas

See all

Cases on the same legal provision: Smith Act, Subversive Activities Control Act, or similar legislation

• W. E. B. Dubois Clubs of America v. Clark
  389 U.S. 309Decided December 11, 19677–2Per curiam
• Kimm v. Rosenberg
  363 U.S. 405Decided June 13, 19605–4Per curiam
• Niukkanen v. McAlexander
  362 U.S. 390Decided April 18, 19605–4Per curiam
• Uphaus v. Wyman
  360 U.S. 72Decided June 8, 19595–4Tom C. Clark
• Bonetti v. Rogers
  356 U.S. 691Decided June 2, 19586–3Charles E. Whittaker

Same Term, same area (First Amendment)

• Shuttlesworth v. City of Birmingham
  382 U.S. 87Decided November 15, 19659–0Potter Stewart
• Solomon v. South Carolina
  382 U.S. 204Decided December 6, 19656–3Per curiam
• Rosenblatt v. Baer
  383 U.S. 75Decided February 21, 19668–1William J. Brennan Jr.
• A Book Named 'john Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure' v. Attorney General of Massachusetts
  383 U.S. 413Decided March 21, 19666–3William J. Brennan Jr.
• Ginzburg v. United States
  383 U.S. 463Decided March 21, 19665–4William J. Brennan Jr.
• Mishkin v. New York
  383 U.S. 502Decided March 21, 19666–3William J. Brennan Jr.

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