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Feinberg Certificate
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Feinberg Certificate

test oath
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The Feinberg Certificate was a loyalty oath required by New York state law in the 1960s. This law, Section 3022 of the Education Law, mandated that educators certify they were not members of the Communist Party and report any past membership. Membership in the Communist Party was grounds for denial or termination of employment.1

A test oath is a pledge required for public employment or office to assess an individual's fitness. In the landmark case Keyishian v. Board of Regents (1967), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such laws, including the Feinberg Certificate, were unconstitutional. The Court found that requiring loyalty oaths and prohibiting "treasonable or seditious speech or acts" infringed upon the First Amendment rights to free speech and academic freedom, stating that academic freedom is essential for a democratic society.21

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. Keyishian v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York
  2. test oath
  3. oath

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