Cox v. United States
332 U.S. 442 · Decided November 24, 1947 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Cox v. United States was decided on November 24, 1947 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Conscientious objectors” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 332 U.S. 442 · 68 S. Ct. 115 · 92 L. Ed. 2d 59 · 1947 U.S. LEXIS 1586
- Docket number
- 66
- Decided
- November 24, 1947
- Argued
- October 14, 1947
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Conscientious objectors
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- Selective Service statutes
- Type of law
- Federal statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Dissent | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Cox v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1947-007, docket 1947-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Sunal v. Large
- Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Samuels
- Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Horowitz
- Gibson v. United States
- United States v. Nugent
- Dickinson v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Mogall v. United States
- Hilton v. Sullivan
- Trailmobile Company v. Whirls
- Aeronautical Industrial District Lodge 727 v. Campbell
- Oakley v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- Robertson v. Chambers
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Donaldson v. Read Magazine, Inc.
- Illinois ex Rel. McCollum v. Board of Education of School District No. 71
- Winters v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Saia v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error