Dickinson v. United States
346 U.S. 389 · Decided November 30, 1953 · 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
Dickinson v. United States was decided on November 30, 1953 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Tom C. Clark wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Conscientious objectors” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 346 U.S. 389 · 74 S. Ct. 152 · 98 L. Ed. 2d 132 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 1425
- Docket number
- 57
- Decided
- November 30, 1953
- Argued
- October 21, 1953
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Earl Warren
- 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)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority |
Full case caption
Dickinson v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1953-012, docket 1953-012-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- United States v. Nugent
- Witmer v. United States
- Sicurella v. United States
- Simmons v. United States
- Gonzales v. United States
- Johnston v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Ford Motor Co. v. Huffman
- Orloff v. Willoughby
- Robertson v. Chambers
- Oakley v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- Aeronautical Industrial District Lodge 727 v. Campbell
- McKinney v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Co.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Superior Films, Inc. v. Department of Education of Ohio
- Linehan v. Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor
- Barsky v. Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York
- United States v. Harriss
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