mccarran act
McCarran Act. A federal law requiring, among other things, members of the Communist party to register with the Attorney General and requiring Communist organizations to provide the government with a list of members. • The Act was passed in 1950, during the Cold War. Over the years, the U.S. Supreme Court declared various portions of the Act unconstitutional, but it was not fully repealed until 1993. See, e.g., United States v. Spector, 343 U.S. 169, 72 S.Ct. 591 (1952); Aptheker v. Secretary of State, 378 U.S. 500, 84 S.Ct. 1659 (1964); United States v. Robel, 389 U.S. 258, 88 S.Ct. 419 (1967). — Also termed McCarran Internal Security Act; Subversive Activities Control Act of 1950.
