Cox v. New Hampshire

Appellant

Cox, et al.

Appellee

State of New Hampshire

Appellant's Claim

That a state statute prohibiting a parade or procession upon a public street without a special license violated the Fourteenth Amendment by interfering with appellant's First Amendment rights of free speech, press, worship and assembly and by vesting unreasonable and arbitrary power in the licensing authority.

Chief Lawyers for Appellant

Hayden Covington, Joseph F. Rutherford

Chief Lawyer for Appellee

Frank R. Kenison

Justices for the Court

Charles Evans Hughes (writing for the Court), Harlan Fiske Stone, Owen Josephus Roberts, Hugo Lafayette Black, Stanley Forman Reed, Felix Frankfurter, William O. Douglas, Frank Murphy

Justices Dissenting

None

Place

Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision

31 March 1941

Decision

Requiring a permit for a parade or procession upon a public street was a proper exercise of the state's authority and did not violate the appellants' constitutional rights.

Further Readings

• McCoy, Ralph E. Freedom of the Press, An Annotated Bibliography. Electronic Ed. CNI / AAUP Project, Library Affairs, SIUC. January 10, 1995.
• Owen, Ralph D., "Jehovah's Witnesses and Their Four Freedoms." University of Detroit Law Journal, 14:111-34, March 1951.