1939 United States Supreme Court case
Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization Full case name Frank Hague, Mayor, et al. v. Committee for Industrial Organization, et al. Citations 307 U.S. 496 (more )59 S. Ct. 954; 83
L. Ed. 1423; 1939
U.S. LEXIS 1067; 1 Lab. Cas. (
CCH ) ¶ 17,048; 4 L.R.R.M. 501
Prior Certiorari to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Certiorari, 306 U.S. 624, to review a decree which modified and affirmed a decree of injunction, 25 F.2d 127, in a suit brought by individuals, unincorporated labor organizations, and a membership corporation, against officials of a municipality to restrain alleged violations of constitutional rights of free speech and of assembly. The Court held that Hague's ban on political meetings violated the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly , and so the ordinances were void. Chief Justice Charles E. Hughes Associate Justices James C. McReynolds · Pierce Butler Harlan F. Stone · Owen Roberts Hugo Black · Stanley F. Reed Felix Frankfurter · William O. Douglas Concurrence Roberts, joined by Black Concurrence Stone, joined by Reed Concurrence Hughes Dissent McReynolds Dissent Butler Frankfurter and Douglas took no part in the consideration or decision of the case. U.S. Const. amend. I
Hague v. Committee for Industrial Organization , 307 U.S. 496 (1939), is a US labor law case decided by the United States Supreme Court .
In Jersey City , New Jersey , Mayor Frank Hague had in 1937 used a city ordinance to prevent labor meetings in public places and stop the distribution of literature pertaining to the Committee for Industrial Organization 's cause. He referred to the CIO as "communist ."
“Wherever the title of streets and parks may rest, they have immemorially been held in trust for the use of the public and, time out of mind, have been used for purposes of assembly, communicating thoughts between citizens, and discussing public questions. Such use of the streets and public places has, from ancient times, been a part of the privileges, immunities, rights, and liberties of citizens” (Justice Roberts ).
District and circuit courts ruled in favor of the CIO, which brought the suit against the mayor for these actions and which was represented by Morris L. Ernst , Spaulding Frazer , Lee Pressman and Benjamin Kaplan . Hague appealed to the Supreme Court which ruled against him and held that Hague's ban on political meetings violated the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly , and so the ordinances were void.
This case brought forth the public forum to the Supreme Court, and is used as a tool for many other cases dealing with First Amendment Rights/ public forum issues. It took a long time after the 14th Amendment was adopted (1866) and ratified (1868) before the Supreme Court began to use it to assert individual rights against State and local Governments; which amplified the right to peacefully assemble and fight for freedom of speech.
Public displays and ceremonies Statutory religious exemptions Public funding Religion in public schools Private religious speech Internal church affairs Taxpayer standing Blue laws Other
Unprotected speech
Incitement and sedition Defamation andfalse speech Fighting words and the heckler's veto True threats Obscenity Rosen v. United States (1896) United States v. One Book Called Ulysses (S.D.N.Y. 1933) Roth v. United States (1957) One, Inc. v. Olesen (1958) Smith v. California (1959) Marcus v. Search Warrant (1961) MANual Enterprises, Inc. v. Day (1962) Jacobellis v. Ohio (1964) Quantity of Books v. Kansas (1964) Ginzburg v. United States (1966) Memoirs v. Massachusetts (1966) Redrup v. New York (1967) Ginsberg v. New York (1968) Stanley v. Georgia (1969) United States v. Thirty-seven Photographs (1971) Kois v. Wisconsin (1972) Miller v. California (1973) Paris Adult Theatre I v. Slaton (1973) United States v. 12 200-ft. Reels of Film (1973) Jenkins v. Georgia (1974) Southeastern Promotions, Ltd. v. Conrad (1975) Erznoznik v. City of Jacksonville (1975) Young v. American Mini Theatres, Inc. (1976) Vance v. Universal Amusement Co., Inc. (1980) American Booksellers Ass'n, Inc. v. Hudnut (7th Cir. 1985) People v. Freeman (Cal. 1988) United States v. X-Citement Video, Inc. (1994) Reno v. ACLU (1997) United States v. Playboy Entertainment Group, Inc. (2000) City of Los Angeles v. Alameda Books, Inc. (2002) Ashcroft v. ACLU I (2002) United States v. American Library Ass'n (2003) Ashcroft v. ACLU II (2004) Nitke v. Gonzales (S.D.N.Y. 2005) United States v. Williams (2008) American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression v. Strickland (6th Cir. 2009) United States v. Kilbride (9th Cir. 2009) United States v. Stevens (2010) Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Ass'n (2011) FCC v. Fox Television Stations, Inc. (2012) Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton (2025) Speech integral to criminal conduct
Strict scrutiny Overbreadth Vagueness Symbolic speech versus conductContent-based restrictions Content-neutral restrictions
Compelled speech Compelled subsidy of others' speech
Government grants and subsidies Government as speaker Loyalty oaths School speech Public employees Hatch Act and similar lawsLicensing and restriction of speech Commercial speech Valentine v. Chrestensen (1942) Rowan v. U.S. Post Office Dept. (1970) Pittsburgh Press Co. v. Pittsburgh Comm'n on Human Relations (1973) Lehman v. Shaker Heights (1974) Goldfarb v. Virginia State Bar (1975) Bigelow v. Virginia (1975) Virginia State Pharmacy Bd. v. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council (1976) Linmark Assoc., Inc. v. Township of Willingboro (1977) Carey v. Population Services International (1977) Bates v. State Bar of Arizona (1977) In re Primus (1978) Ohralik v. Ohio State Bar Association (1978) Friedman v. Rogers (1979) Consol. Edison Co. v. Public Serv. Comm'n (1980) Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission (1980) Metromedia, Inc. v. San Diego (1981) In re R.M.J. (1982) Hoffman Estates v. The Flipside, Hoffman Estates, Inc. (1982) Zauderer v. Off. of Disciplinary Counsel of Supreme Court of Ohio (1985) Pacific Gas & Electric Co. v. Public Utilities Comm'n of California (1986) Posadas de Puerto Rico Assoc. v. Tourism Co. of Puerto Rico (1986) San Francisco Arts & Athletics, Inc. v. U.S. Olympic Committee (1987) Shapero v. Kentucky Bar Association (1988) Riley v. Nat'l Fed'n of the Blind (1988) State University of New York v. Fox (1989) Peel v. Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of Illinois (1990) City of Cincinnati v. Discovery Network (1993) Edenfield v. Fane (1993) United States v. Edge Broadcasting Co. (1993) Ibanez v. Florida Dept. of Business and Professional Regulation, Bd. of Accountancy (1994) Lebron v. National Railroad Passenger Corp. (1995) Rubin v. Coors Brewing Co. (1995) Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc. (1995) 44 Liquormart, Inc. v. Rhode Island (1996) Glickman v. Wileman Brothers & Elliot, Inc. (1997) Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Assn., Inc. v. United States (1999) Los Angeles Police Department v. United Reporting Publishing Co. (1999) United States v. United Foods Inc. (2001) Lorillard Tobacco Co. v. Reilly (2001) Thompson v. Western States Medical Center (2002) Nike, Inc. v. Kasky (2003) Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Ass'n (2005) Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assn. v. Brentwood Academy (2007) Milavetz, Gallop & Milavetz, P.A. v. United States (2010) Jerman v. Carlisle, McNellie, Rini, Kramer & Ulrich LPA (2010) Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. (2011) Expressions Hair Design v. Schneiderman (2017) Matal v. Tam (2017) Iancu v. Brunetti (2019) Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants (2020) Vidal v. Elster (2024) Campaign finance and political speechAnonymous speech State action Official retaliation Boycotts Prisons
Organizations Future Conduct Solicitation Membership restriction Primaries and elections