Case Overview

Legal Principle at Issue

Whether the Smith Act which makes it a crime to "knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or by assignation" is on its face and as applied to the Petitioners violative of the First Amendment.

Action

Affirmed (includes modified). Petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition.

Cite this page

  • DENNIS ET AL. v. UNITED STATES. (n.d.). First Amendment Library. Retrieved April 14, 2025, from https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/dennis-et-al-v-united-states
  • DENNIS ET AL. v. UNITED STATES, First Amendment Library, https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/dennis-et-al-v-united-states (last visited 14 Apr. 2025).
  • Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). "DENNIS ET AL. v. UNITED STATES." Oyez. https://www.thefire.org/supreme-court/dennis-et-al-v-united-states (accessed April 14, 2025).
  • "DENNIS ET AL. v. UNITED STATES." First Amendment Library. Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), n.d. 14 Apr. 2025, www.thefire.org/supreme-court/dennis-et-al-v-united-states.
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