Home > Great American Court Cases > Thomas v. Collins

Legal Citation: 323 U.S. 516 (1945)

Appellant
Roland J. Thomas

Appellee
Collins, Sheriff of Travis County, Texas

Appellant's Claim
That Texas law requiring union organizers to obtain a special license was an invalid restriction of the First Amendment right to free speech.

Chief Lawyers for Appellant
Lee Pressman, Ernest Goodman

Chief Lawyer for Appellee
Fagan Dickson

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, William O. Douglas, Frank Murphy, Robert H. Jackson, Wiley Blount Rutledge (writing for the Court)

Justices Dissenting
Owen Josephus Roberts, Harlan Fiske Stone, Stanley Forman Reed, Felix Frankfurter

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
8 January 1945

Decision
Reversed Supreme Court of Texas decision upholding the contempt conviction of Thomas...