Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Samuels
329 U.S. 304 · Decided December 23, 1946 · 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
Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Samuels was decided on December 23, 1946 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice William O. Douglas 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
- 329 U.S. 304 · 67 S. Ct. 313 · 91 L. Ed. 308 · 1946 U.S. LEXIS 1582
- Docket number
- 59
- Decided
- December 23, 1946
- Argued
- November 21, 1946
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- William O. Douglas
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Frank Murphy | Majority | |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Wiley B. Rutledge | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority |
Full case caption
Eagles, Post Commanding Officer, v. United States ex Rel. Samuels
SCDB identifiers: case 1946-020, docket 1946-020-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Horowitz
- Gibson v. United States
- Sunal v. Large
- Cox v. United States
- United States v. Nugent
- Dickinson v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Trailmobile Company v. Whirls
- Mogall v. United States
- Hilton v. Sullivan
- Aeronautical Industrial District Lodge 727 v. Campbell
- Oakley v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.
- Robertson v. Chambers
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Eagles v. United States ex Rel. Horowitz
- Gibson v. United States
- Everson v. Board of Education of the Township of Ewing
- Oklahoma v. United States Civil Service Commission
- Craig v. Harney
- United States v. Petrillo
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