National Ass'n for the Advancement of Colored People v. Golding

RAKER, Judge.

The issue we must decide in this case is what role the courts should play in resolving a disagreement between a voluntary membership organization and its members. Specifically, we must determine whether the courts should intervene to interpret provisions of a voluntary organization’s membership agreement governing members’ eligibility to participate in the election of officers. We shall hold that under the circumstances of this case, the trial court should not have intervened in the organization’s internal dispute.

I

This case involves a dispute between Appellants, the National…