Wieman v. Updegraff 344 U.S. 183 (1952)

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WIEMAN v. UPDEGRAFF 344 U.S. 183 (1952)

In an opinion written by Justice tom c. clark, the Supreme Court struck down an Oklahoma loyalty oath for state employees that required signers to affirm that they were not and had not been for five years members of organizations designated by the attorney general of the United States as "communist front" or "subversive." Clark, who as attorney general had initiated the federal list in 1947, held that the statute violated the due process clause because it did not distinguish innocent membership from knowing membership in the proscribed organizations.

Michael E. Parrish
(1986)