Poulos v. New Hampshire
345 U.S. 395 · Decided April 27, 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
Poulos v. New Hampshire was decided on April 27, 1953 by a vote of 7–2. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stanley F. Reed wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Free exercise of religion” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 345 U.S. 395 · 73 S. Ct. 760 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 1105 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2606
- Docket number
- 341
- Decided
- April 27, 1953
- Argued
- February 3, 1953
- Court era
- Vinson Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Stanley F. Reed
- Opinion assigned by
- Fred M. Vinson
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Free exercise of religion
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stanley F. Reed | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Robert H. Jackson | Majority | |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Full case caption
Poulos v. New Hampshire
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-080, docket 1952-080-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Free exercise of religion”
- Fowler v. Rhode IslandLaw held unconstitutional
- Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in North AmericaLaw held unconstitutional
- Niemotko v. Maryland
- Kunz v. New YorkLaw held unconstitutional
- Kreshik v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church of North America
- Gallagher v. Crown Kosher Super Market of Massachusetts, Inc.
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (free exercise of religion)
- Zorach v. Clauson
- Gary Locke v. Joshua Davey
- Trinity Lutheran Church v. ComerLaw held unconstitutional
- Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission
- Espinoza v. Montana Department of RevenueLaw held unconstitutional
- Carson v. MakinLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Kedroff v. Saint Nicholas Cathedral of the Russian Orthodox Church in North AmericaLaw held unconstitutional
- Wieman v. UpdegraffLaw held unconstitutional
- National Labor Relations Board v. Dant
- Fowler v. Rhode IslandLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. Nugent
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