Court Cases Involving the Status of Political Party Organizations

• Smith v. Allwright, 321 U.S. 649 (1944)

  Party rules/actions regarding election rules essentially constitute state action. Specifically, the party cannot limit participation in its primaries based on race.  Doing so is considered state action prohibited by the 15th Amendment.

• Cousins v. Wigoda, 419 U.S. 477 (1975), and
  Democratic Party of U.S. v. Wisconsin ex rel LaFollette, 450 U.S. 107 (1981)

  National party rules regarding delegate selection take precedence over state laws

• Tashjian v. Republican Party of Connecticut, 479 U.S. 208 (1986)

  Ruled that states could not prohibit independent voters from participating in primaries if a party wants to allow them.

• Eu v. San Francisco Democratic Central Committee, 489 U.S. 214 (1989)

  Limited states' regulatory authority over party organizations. States may not ban pre-primary endorsements nor legislate the internal structure of organizations.