Socialist Labor Party v. Gilligan
406 U.S. 583 · Decided May 30, 1972 · 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
Socialist Labor Party v. Gilligan was decided on May 30, 1972 by a vote of 6–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” Justice William H. Rehnquist wrote the 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
- 406 U.S. 583 · 92 S. Ct. 1716 · 32 L. Ed. 2d 317 · 1972 U.S. LEXIS 143
- Docket number
- 70-21
- Decided
- May 30, 1972
- Argued
- March 23, 1972
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- William H. Rehnquist
- Opinion assigned by
- Warren E. Burger
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Loyalty oath, political party
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Justice Lewis F. Powell Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Socialist Labor Party et al. v. Gilligan, Governor of Ohio, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 1971-121, docket 1971-121-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Loyalty oath, political party”
- Communist Party of Indiana v. WhitcombLaw held unconstitutional
- Gerende v. Board of Supervisors of Elections of Baltimore
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Parisi v. Davidson
- Rabe v. Washington
- Cruz v. Beto
- Fein v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 7 of Yonkers
- Gooding v. WilsonLaw held unconstitutional
- Cole v. Richardson
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