National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button - Impact

NAACP v. Button was of obvious importance in the Civil Rights movement, and the school desegregation movement in particular. But as Brennan noted, the case was not decided on the grounds of equal protection. Rather, it dealt with the freedoms of speech and association. Its impact would thus be felt equally by labor unions and other groups. In Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Virginia State Bar (1964), the Court extended National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Button to protect unions' referral of members to attorneys. This and subsequent cases involving group legal service would reshape the previously more personal attorney-client relationship, affecting not only the rights of various groups but also the professional conduct of the law.