United States v. Nugent
346 U.S. 1 · Decided June 8, 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
United States v. Nugent was decided on June 8, 1953 by a vote of 5–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson 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. 1 · 73 S. Ct. 991 · 97 L. Ed. 2d 1417 · 1953 U.S. LEXIS 2000
- Docket number
- 540
- Decided
- June 8, 1953
- Argued
- May 1, 1953
- 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
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- Fred M. Vinson
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Felix Frankfurter | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Harold H. Burton | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | |
| Justice Sherman Minton | Majority |
Did not participate: Robert H. Jackson.
Full case caption
United States v. Nugent
SCDB identifiers: case 1952-100, docket 1952-100-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Dickinson v. United States
- 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
- Hilton v. Sullivan
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
- Poulos v. New Hampshire
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