Gonzales v. United States
364 U.S. 59 · Decided June 27, 1960 · 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
Gonzales v. United States was decided on June 27, 1960 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed 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
- 364 U.S. 59 · 80 S. Ct. 1554 · 4 L. Ed. 2d 1569 · 1960 U.S. LEXIS 764
- Docket number
- 416
- Decided
- June 27, 1960
- Argued
- May 2, 1960
- Court era
- Warren Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Tom C. Clark
- Opinion assigned by
- Felix Frankfurter
- 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 Felix Frankfurter | Majority | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Charles E. Whittaker | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority |
Full case caption
Gonzales v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1959-124, docket 1959-124-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Johnston v. United States
- United States v. Seeger
- Witmer v. United States
- Sicurella v. United States
- Simmons v. United States
- Gonzales v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- McKinney v. Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad Co.
- Tilton v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Brooks v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Ford Motor Co. v. Huffman
- Orloff v. Willoughby
- Eagar v. Magma Copper Co.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Smith v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Bates v. City of Little RockLaw held unconstitutional
- Nelson v. County of Los Angeles
- Talley v. CaliforniaLaw held unconstitutional
- Nostrand v. Little
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
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