Halting McCarthyism: The Stamler Case in History

Abstract

The now-forgotten Stamler case is a reminder of the days that followed the McCarthy era, and after its damage had been done, when the U.S. Federal Courts became a useful arena for the left. No one rang a bell to say that an era was over and the U.S. courts were open for the Bill of Rights. Instead, persistent and able lawyers, battling side by side with a renewed social (civil rights) movement, discovered that after the long night they could get things done in U.S. courts. The Stamler case achieved no less than a softening up of the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities (HUAC) for its congressional demise in 1974.

This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.

Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.