Frank Collin, a leader of an American Nazi organization, the National Socialist Party of America (NSPA), requests a permit for a rally to take place in Skokie, Illinois in May 1977.
At the time, Skokie's total population was around 70,000 and estimated to be majority Jewish, and many of them were also survivors of the Holocaust. The Skokie community met with the Mayor and Village Council and urged Village attorney, Harvey Schwartz to file an injunction and stop the rally.
Collin claimed that prohibiting the rally was an infringement upon his right to free speech and contacts the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Illinois. ACLU attorney David Goldberger takes the case.