Baird v. State Bar of Arizona, 401 U.S. 1 (1971), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled:
| Baird v. State Bar of Arizona | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued December 8–9, 1969 Reargued October 14, 1970 Decided February 23, 1971 | |
| Full case name | Baird v. State Bar of Arizona |
| Citations | 401 U.S. 1 (more) 91 S.Ct. 702; 27 L. Ed. 2d 639; 1971 U.S. LEXIS 81 |
| Holding | |
| A State's power to inquire about a person's beliefs or associations is limited by the First Amendment, which prohibits a State from excluding a person from a profession solely because of membership in a political organization or because of his beliefs. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Plurality | Black, joined by Douglas, Brennan, Marshall |
| Concurrence | Stewart |
| Dissent | Harlan |
| Dissent | White |
| Dissent | Blackmun, joined by Burger, Harlan, White |
A State's power to inquire about a person's beliefs or associations is limited by the First Amendment, which prohibits a State from excluding a person from a profession solely because of membership in a political organization or because of his beliefs.
In this case, a law school graduate who had passed the Arizona written bar examination had applied to be admitted to the Arizona bar, but had refused to answer a question as to whether she had ever been a member of the Communist party. On that basis, the State Bar of Arizona refused to admit her.
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Works related to Baird v. State Bar of Arizona at Wikisource- Text of Baird v. State Bar of Arizona, 401 U.S. 1 (1971) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
- First Amendment Center
