Loyalty oath, government employees: Supreme Court decisions

Every U.S. Supreme Court decision from the 1946 through 2025 Terms that the Supreme Court Database classifies under the issue “Loyalty oath, government employees,” part of the First Amendment area.

7decisions

86%favorable to the petitioner

0%unanimous

3altered precedent or struck a law

Decisions by decade

1950s2

1960s4

1970s1

Most majority opinions

Legal provisions most often involved

Fourteenth Amendment (due process)3

First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)2

Article I, Section 10 (state bill of attainder or ex post facto law)1

All 7 decisions, newest first

Cole v. Richardson
405 U.S. 676Decided April 18, 19724–3Warren E. Burger
Cole v. Richardson
397 U.S. 238Decided March 16, 19707–1Per curiam
Whitehill v. ElkinsLaw held unconstitutional
389 U.S. 54Decided November 16, 19676–3William O. Douglas
Elfbrandt v. RussellLaw held unconstitutional
384 U.S. 11Decided April 18, 19665–4William O. Douglas
Baggett v. BullittLaw held unconstitutional
377 U.S. 360Decided June 1, 19647–2Byron R. White
Nostrand v. Little
362 U.S. 474Decided May 2, 19607–2Per curiam
Garner v. Board of Public Works of Los Angeles
341 U.S. 716Decided June 4, 19515–4Tom C. Clark

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