elfbrandt russell argued february decided april state employees arizona must take oath support federal state constitutions state laws legislative gloss put oath employee subject prosecution perjury discharge office knowingly wilfully becomes remains member communist party successors subordinate organizations organization one purposes overthrow state government employee knowledge unlawful purpose petitioner teacher filed suit declaratory relief decided good conscience take oath knowing meant unable obtain hearing determine precise scope meaning judgment arizona sustaining oath vacated remanded reconsideration light baggett bullitt reconsideration arizona reinstated original judgment finding oath afflicted many uncertainties found potentially punishable baggett bullitt held political groups may embrace legal illegal aims one may join groups without embracing latter pp join organization without sharing unlawful purposes pose threat constitutional government either citizens public employees presume conclusively join subversive organization share unlawful aims forbidden principle state may compel citizen prove engaged criminal advocacy speiser randall followed pp arizona act confined join specific intent illegal aims subversive organization narrowly drawn define punish specific conduct constituting clear present danger unnecessarily infringes freedom political association pp edward morgan argued cause filed brief petitioner philip haggerty special counsel attorney general arizona argued cause respondents brief darrell smith attorney general justice douglas delivered opinion case involves questions concerning constitutionality arizona act requiring oath state employees vacated judgment arizona sustained oath remanded cause reconsideration light baggett bullitt see reconsideration arizona reinstated original judgment case certiorari oath reads conventional fashion follows type print name solemnly swear affirm support constitution constitution laws state arizona bear true faith allegiance defend enemies foreign domestic faithfully impartially discharge duties office name office according best ability help god affirm reach endorsements support communist candidates office lawyer represents communist party members journalists defend communist party rights members conduct neither act aid act attempting overthrow government force violence conclusion portions arizona act considered forbid require conduct terms vague men common intelligence must necessarily guess meaning differ application let us consider scientist teacher one universities know whether membership prohibited international scientific organization includes members neutralist nations communist bloc nations latter admittedly dedicated overthrow government control organization even though access scientific information organization available members though might agree principal purpose organization scientific statute makes membership crime subordinate purpose overthrow state government vice vagueness scientist know whether membership organization result prosecution violation subd honors university encyclopedic knowledge acquired field part membership also said element membership crime defendant personal criminal purpose bring overthrow government force violence like others must judged strictissimi juris otherwise danger one sympathy legitimate aims organization specifically intending accomplish resort violence might punished adherence lawful constitutionally protected purposes unprotected purposes necessarily share oath accompanying statutory gloss challenged suffer identical constitutional infirmity one subscribes arizona oath thereafter becomes knowing member organization one purposes violent overthrow government subject immediate discharge criminal penalties nothing oath statutory gloss construction oath statutes given arizona purports exclude association one subscribe organization unlawful ends baggett bullitt supra hazard prosecuted knowing guiltless behavior reality people often label communist ideas oppose often make juries rosecutors human cramp board public instruction teacher safe secure going pugwash conference legal join seminar group predominantly communist therefore subject control said believe overthrow government force violence juries might convict though teacher subscribe wrongful aims organization apparently machinery provided getting clearance advance join organization share unlawful purposes participate unlawful activities surely pose threat either citizens public employees laws restricted scope join specific intent illegal action impose effect conclusive presumption member shares unlawful aims organization see aptheker secretary state supra unconstitutionality act follows fortiori speiser randall held state may even place applicant tax exemption burden proving engaged criminal advocacy act threatens cherished freedom association protected first amendment made applicable fourteenth amendment baggett bullitt supra cramp board public instruction supra cf alabama et seq gibson florida legislative committee committee arizona legislature urged adoption law recognized public employees character integrity may well forgo calling rather risk prosecution perjury compromise commitment intellectual political freedom communist trained fraud perjury qualms taking oath loyal citizen conscious history oppressions may well wonder whether medieval rack torture wheel next one declines take involved negative oath evidence true believer objectionable quality overbreadth depend upon absence fair notice criminally accused upon unchanneled delegation legislative powers upon danger tolerating area first amendment freedoms existence penal statute susceptible sweeping improper application freedoms delicate vulnerable well supremely precious society threat sanctions may deter exercise almost potently actual application sanctions reversed footnotes reads follows officer employee defined section taken form oath affirmation prescribed section knowingly wilfully time subscribing oath affirmation time thereafter term office employment commit aid commission act overthrow force violence government state political subdivisions advocates overthrow force violence government state political subdivisions term office employment knowingly wilfully becomes remains member communist party successors subordinate organizations organization one purposes overthrow force violence government state arizona political subdivisions said officer employee defined section prior becoming remaining member organization organizations knowledge said unlawful purpose said organization organizations shall guilty felony upon conviction thereof shall subject penalties perjury addition upon conviction section officer employee shall deemed discharged said office employment shall entitled additional compensation emoluments benefits may incident appurtenant said office employment cf rowoldt perfetto kennedy pugwash conferences staff analysis subcommittee investigate administration internal security act senate committee judiciary committee print sess rabinowitch pugwash history outlook bull atomic sci topchiev comments pugwash east bull atomic sci thirring comments pugwash west rabinowitch stowe conferences bull atomic sci statement international pugwash continuing committee pugwash xiii bull atomic sci december documents second pugwash conference nuclear scientists march petitioner course hearing perjury trial event one member arizona felt petitioner tenure entitled hearing discharged teaching position see elfbrandt russell bernstein concurring even authoritatively decided indeed another opinion minority view separate opinion jennings report judiciary committee support committee amendment journal senate reg legislature state arizona justice white justice clark justice harlan justice stewart concur dissenting according unequivocal prior holdings state entitled condition public employment upon employees abstaining knowing membership communist party organizations advocating violent overthrow government employs state constitutionally authorized inquire affiliations may discharge refuse affirm deny gerende board supervisors elections garner board public works adler board education beilan board education lerner casey nelson county los angeles see also wieman updegraff slochower board education mention purport overrule cases expressly hold state must retain even sensitive positions lend support knowing membership entails organizations communist party whose purposes include violent destruction democratic government existing constitutional law arizona free require teachers refrain knowing membership designated organizations bar employment knowing members well refuse establish qualifications teach executing oath prescribed statute arizona need retain employees governor staff phoenix police department schools insist holding membership lending name influence organizations aiming violent overthrow adler board education seem therefore judgment aimed criminal provisions arizona law expose employee perjury prosecution swears falsely membership signs oath later becomes knowing member remaining public employment state entitled condition employment absence knowing membership employee obtains employment falsifying present qualifications sound constitutional reason denying state power treat false swearing perjury alire ogden token since knowing membership specified organizations valid disqualification arizona sensibly forbidden make crime person state employee join organization knowing dedication forceful overthrow employer knowing membership disqualifies state employment crime provided arizona law act becoming member organization membership plus concurrent public employment state may disqualify knowing membership impose criminal penalties falsifying employment applications likewise within powers move criminally employee knowingly engages disqualifying acts employment government may remove office ed public workers america mitchell criminally punish ed employees engage certain political activities unsound hold may pain criminal penalties prevent employees affiliating communist party organizations prepared employ violent means overthrow constitutional government constitution require kind protection secret proselyting government employees communist party organization found controlled foreign power dedicated overthrow government illegal means necessary achieve end communist party subversive activities control board nothing scales noto aptheker secretary state dictating result reached scales involved construction smith act holding membership clause reach members knew illegal aims party lacked active membership intent illegal ends noto also involved construction smith act conviction reversed insufficient evidence aptheker struck provision denying passports members communist party applied whether one knows believes associated organization operating aims world communist movement provision therefore sweeps within prohibition knowing unknowing members event scales noto aptheker deal government employee knowing member communist party suggest state federal government prohibited taking elementary precautions employees forming knowing deliberate affiliations organizations conspire destroy government violent means speiser randall also relied upon majority carefully preserved gerende garner reasons think equally applicable arizona oath statute view therefore errs holding act overbroad includes state employees knowing members may active may lack specific intent illegal aims party even arizona may take criminal action law enforcement officers teachers become communists knowing purposes party judgment overreaches invalidating arizona statute whether arizona may make knowing membership crime need retain member employee entitled insist employees disclaim oath knowing membership designated organizations condition future employment upon future abstention membership therefore improper invalidate entire statute declaratory judgment action imposition criminal penalties present act invalid limit holding remand case arizona courts determine severability criminal provisions severability provisions act arizona communist control act laws cases uphold constitutionality makes crime make false statements regard matter within jurisdiction department agency many comparable statutes cal govt code mass laws stat tit see findings congress subversive activities control act ed arizona legislature arizona communist control act laws remand arizona gave oath statute narrow reading eliminated vulnerability charge unconstitutionally vague see baggett bullitt although majority remand dwell membership clause seems meaning clear face statute terms unless organization joined actually purpose unlawful revolution employee actually knows purpose commits crime since constitutional vice vague indefinite statute injustice accused placing trial offense nature given fair warning fact punishment restricted acts done knowledge contravene statute makes objection untenable american communications assn douds