In the case of Matles v. United States in 1957, the Supreme Court ruled on whether or not an individual could be deported for being a member of an organization that advocated for overthrowing the government by force and violence. The petitioner, Joseph Matles, was a naturalized U.S. citizen who had been ordered to be deported due to his membership in such an organization - specifically, the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). He argued that he did not know about CPUSA's advocacy for violent revolution when he joined it and thus should not face deportation as per Section 22 of Internal Security Act of 1950. The court held that knowledge is indeed necessary under this section; mere membership without awareness does not suffice for deportation purposes. However, they also found substantial evidence suggesting Matles knew about CPUSA's revolutionary aims when joining it – including his own testimony admitting as much – which led them to uphold his deportation order despite their interpretation favoring him otherwise.

In the dissenting opinion for Matles v. United States, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a deportation order against an immigrant who had been a member of the Communist Party in America was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that there wasn't enough evidence to prove that he had knowledge of or agreed with any unlawful activities carried out by this party, which is required under law for such deportations. They further contended that mere membership in an organization should not be grounds for deportation unless active participation and agreement with its illegal objectives can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. This interpretation would better align with principles of justice and fairness as well as constitutional protections against guilt by association.