NAACP v. Alabama: Supreme Court Protects Freedom of Association

On June 30, 1958, the Supreme Court unanimously rules in NAACP v. Alabama that Alabama cannot compel the NAACP to disclose its membership lists. Alabama had demanded the lists and held the NAACP in contempt for refusing, knowing that disclosure would expose members to economic retaliation and violence. The Court rules that freedom of association is protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Despite the ruling, Alabama continues to bar the NAACP through procedural maneuvers until 1964.