Dombrowski v. Pfister
United States Supreme Court
380 U.S. 479 (1965)
- Written by Catherine Cotovsky, JD
Facts
The Southern Conference Education Fund, Inc., and several of its officers (SCEF) (plaintiffs) filed an action against the Governor of Louisiana, state law enforcement officers, and the chairman of the Legislative Joint Committee on Un-American Activities in Louisiana (the state) (defendants), in which SCEF asked the court to enjoin the state from using two Louisiana state anti-communism and anti-subversive activities laws to prosecute or threaten prosecution of SCEF members. SCEF claimed that the laws were overbroad and violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments on their faces and further that the state was misusing the laws to harass SCEF and deter others from joining SCEF’s fight for the constitutional rights of Black Louisianans. The district court dismissed SCEF’s complaint for failing to state a claim upon which relief could be granted. The court also decided to abstain from ruling so as to allow state courts an opportunity to interpret the statute first. The Supreme Court noted probable jurisdiction and took the case for consideration.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Brennan, J.)
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