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Stanford v. Texas

United States Supreme Court

379 U.S. 476 (1965)

Facts

Texas (defendant) passed a law banning the Communist Party and criminalizing Communist-related activities. Pursuant to this law, a warrant was issued to search the home of John Stanford, Jr., (plaintiff) and seize any “books, records, pamphlets, cards, receipts, lists, memoranda, pictures, recordings and other written instruments concerning the Communist Party of Texas.” In exercising the warrant, officers seized approximately 2,000 books, pamphlets, and other written documents from Stanford’s home. The items included works from an array of writers, including Karl Marx, Pope John XXIII, and Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. The officers did not find any records of the Communist Party of Texas. Stanford filed a motion to annul the warrant and return the property. The magistrate denied the motion. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Stewart, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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