Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee
Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, 372 U.S. 539 (1963), was a United States Supreme Court case based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It held that a legislative committee cannot compel a subpoenaed witness to give up the membership lists of his organization.[1][2]
| Gibson v. Florida Legislative Comm. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Argued December 5, 1961 Reargued October 10–11, 1962 Decided March 25, 1963 | |
| Full case name | Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee |
| Citations | 372 U.S. 539 (more) 83 S. Ct. 889; 9 L. Ed. 2d 929; 1963 U.S. LEXIS 2503 |
| Holding | |
| On the record in this case, petitioner's conviction of contempt for refusal to divulge information contained in the membership lists of the Association violated rights of association protected by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Goldberg, joined by Warren, Black, Douglas, Brennan |
| Concurrence | Black |
| Concurrence | Douglas |
| Dissent | Harlan, joined by Clark, Stewart, White |
| Dissent | White |
Factual background
editIn 1956, a committee of the Florida Legislature initiated an investigation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)'s Miami branch. When the authority of this committee expired, a new committee was formed in 1957 to pursue the same inquiry. This new committee subpoenaed the branch's membership list. Production of such information was refused.[2] Due to this refusal, the president of NAACP's Miami branch was convicted of contempt, sentenced, and fined. [3][4]
Decision
editThe Supreme Court held that the conviction violated rights of association under the First and Fourteenth Amendments.[2]
References
edit- ^ Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, 372 U.S. 539 (1963)
- ^ a b c "Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Comm., 372 U.S. 539 (1963)". Justia Law. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
- ^ "The Struggle for Civil Rights and the First Amendment". National Coalition Against Censorship. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ "GIBSON v. FLORIDA LEGISLATIVE COMM., 372 U.S. 539 (1963)". FindLaw. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
External links
edit
Works related to Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee at Wikisource- Text of Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, 372 U.S. 539 (1963) is available from: CourtListener Findlaw Google Scholar Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
- First Amendment Library entry on Gibson v. Florida Legislative Investigation Committee Archived 2005-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
