This section contains the nature of the case and procedural background.

Act 10, an Arkansas statute, required every teacher, as a condition of employment in a state-supported school or college to disclose (annually) every organization contribution or membership acquired within the preceding five years. The statute did not provide that the information it required be kept confidential. The record contained evidence to indicate that fear of public disclosure was neither theoretical nor groundless. Shelton (an NAACP member) refused to make the required disclosure, and his contract was not renewed. The trial court upheld Act 10, finding that the information sought was 'relevant' to the state goal of evaluating teacher fitness.

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