March 3, 1952
In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a New York state law that prohibited communists from teaching in public schools. The majority decision supported the belief, according to the New York Times, that “the state had a constitutional right to protect the immature minds of children in its public schools from subversive propaganda, subtle or otherwise, disseminated by those ‘to whom they look for guidance, authority and leadership.'” The dissenting opinion from justices William O. Douglas, Hugo Black, and Felix Frankfurter charged that the New York statute “turns the school system into a spying project.” The law remained in force until another Supreme Court decision in 1967 (Keyishian v. Board of Regents) declared most of its provisions unconstitutional.
