The Keyishian v. Board of Regents case in 1966 was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that ruled against laws requiring educators to sign loyalty oaths or risk losing their jobs. The court held that such laws violated First Amendment rights to free speech and thought, as they were too vague and had a chilling effect on academic freedom. This case involved faculty members at the University at Buffalo who refused to certify that they were not Communists, leading to their dismissal from employment under New York's Feinberg Law which prohibited state employees from belonging to subversive groups. The Supreme Court struck down this law, stating it infringed upon constitutional protections for freedom of expression and association.

In the dissenting opinion for Keyishian v. Board of Regents, Justice White argued that the majority's decision was an overreach and a misinterpretation of First Amendment rights. He contended that it is within the state's right to ensure loyalty from its employees, including those at public universities. The laws in question were designed to prevent subversive activities by requiring teachers to certify they are not members of any organization advocating for violent overthrow of government; this does not infringe upon their freedom of speech or association as per his view. Furthermore, he believed these requirements were reasonable given past instances where communist organizations had infiltrated educational institutions with intent to spread propaganda and incite rebellion against democratic governments.