Hugo Black

“ The central question in all of them has been the same, whether involving lawyers, doctors, marine workers, or State or Federal Government employees, namely: to what extent does the First or Fifth Amendment or other constitutional provision protect persons against governmental intrusion and invasion into private beliefs and views that have not ripened into any punishable conduct? ”

“ We conclude also that Ohio may not require an applicant for admission to the Bar to state whether he has been or is a 'member of any organization which advocates the overthrow of the government of the United States by force.' As we noted above, the First Amendment prohibits Ohio from penalizing a man solely because he is a member of a particular organization. ”

“ Stolar's moral character or his professional competence. Although there were three questions that he did not answer with a simple 'yes' or 'no,' he did answer all of the Committee's questions relevant to his fitness and competence to practice law. It is difficult if not impossible to see how the State of Ohio could have been obstructed or frustrated to any extent in determining Mr. Stolar's fitness to practice law by his failure to answer the questions more fully. The record shows a young man who, from his boyhood up, had no adverse marks except for two speeding convictions. ”