Baird v. State Bar of Arizona
401 U.S. 1 · 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
Baird v. State Bar of Arizona was decided on February 23, 1971 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Hugo L. Black wrote the opinion announcing the judgment 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. 1 · 91 S. Ct. 702 · 27 L. Ed. 2d 639 · 1971 U.S. LEXIS 81
- Docket number
- 15
- Decided
- February 23, 1971
- Argued
- December 8, 1969
- Reargued
- October 14, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Hugo L. Black
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, bar applicants
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (association)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Baird v. State Bar of Arizona
SCDB identifiers: case 1970-033, docket 1970-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, bar applicants”
- In re Stolar
- Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
- Konigsberg v. State Bar of California
- In re Anastaplo
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (association)
- United Transportation Union v. State Bar of Michigan
- Healy v. James
- Rosario v. Rockefeller
- Kusper v. PontikesLaw held unconstitutional
- Schneider v. Smith
- Degregory v. Attorney General of New Hampshire
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Blount v. RizziLaw held unconstitutional
- In re Stolar
- Law Students Civil Rights Research Council, Inc. v. Wadmond
- 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