Healy v. James

Healy v. James
Argued March 28, 1972
Decided June 26, 1972
Full case nameHealy, et al. v. James, et al.
Citations408 U.S. 169 (more)
92 S. Ct. 2338; 33 L. Ed. 2d 266; 1972 U.S. LEXIS 160
Court membership
Chief Justice
Warren E. Burger
Associate Justices
William O. Douglas · William J. Brennan Jr.
Potter Stewart · Byron White
Thurgood Marshall · Harry Blackmun
Lewis F. Powell Jr. · William Rehnquist
Case opinions
MajorityPowell, joined by Burger, Douglas, Brennan, Stewart, White, Marshall, Blackmun
ConcurrenceBurger
ConcurrenceDouglas
ConcurrenceRehnquist
Laws applied
U.S. Const. amends. I, XIV

Healy v. James, 408 U.S. 169 (1972), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that Central Connecticut State College's refusal to recognize a campus chapter of Students for a Democratic Society was unconstitutional. The denial of official recognition was found to violate the First Amendment.

The crux of the ruling was that the onus was on the college to provide valid reasons for denial, rather than insisting that the organization provide evidence that their recognition would not be harmful.

  • Text of Healy v. James, 408 U.S. 169 (1972) is available from: Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)
  • "Healy v. James (brief summary with link to full text)". Student Press Law Center. Archived from the original on December 26, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2020.