Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
341 U.S. 56 · Decided April 12, 1951 · 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
Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore was decided on April 12, 1951 unanimously (9–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. The decision was issued per curiam (an unsigned opinion of the Court). SCDB classifies its main issue as “Loyalty oath, political party” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 341 U.S. 56 · 71 S. Ct. 565 · 95 L. Ed. 2d 745 · 1951 U.S. LEXIS 2015
- Docket number
- 577
- Decided
- April 12, 1951
- Argued
- April 9, 1951
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Per curiam (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, political party
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
SCDB identifiers: case 1950-061, docket 1950-061-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, political party”
- Socialist Labor Party v. Gilligan
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Feiner v. New York
- Adler v. Board of Education of the City of New York
- Hughes v. Superior Court of California for Contra Costa County
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Etc. Union v. Hanke
- Building Service Employees International Union v. Gazzam
- Beauharnais v. Illinois
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Niemotko v. Maryland
- Kunz v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Feiner v. New York
- National Labor Relations Board v. Highland Park Manufacturing Co.
- Dennis v. United States
- Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
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