Freedom of Association

About this book

Freedom of Association: Rights and Liberties under the Law chronicles the evolution of a right derived from but not granted in the First Amendmentofreedom of association. An opening analysis of the Supreme Court's ruling against a gay adult member of the Boy Scouts of America illustrates the range and complexity of this issue.Historical discussions of colonial America, including the British Parliament's efforts to suppress political associations, set the stage for a careful scrutiny of the political and legislative activities of the 1950s and 1960s when the Supreme Court established freedom of association as a constitutionally protected right. A concluding chapter delves into the contemporary issues of antidiscriminatory and campaign finance laws and explores the ever-present tension between libertyofreedom from the stateoand equalityoprotection by the state.