United States v. Seeger
380 U.S. 163 · Decided March 8, 1965 · 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. Seeger was decided on March 8, 1965 unanimously (9–0). 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
- 380 U.S. 163 · 85 S. Ct. 850 · 13 L. Ed. 2d 733 · 1965 U.S. LEXIS 1666
- Docket number
- 50
- Decided
- March 8, 1965
- Argued
- November 16, 1964
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- 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 William O. Douglas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Tom C. Clark | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice Earl Warren | Majority | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Arthur J. Goldberg | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. Seeger
SCDB identifiers: case 1964-055, docket 1964-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Clark v. Gabriel
- Gonzales v. United States
- Welsh v. United States
- Mulloy v. United States
- United States v. Sisson
- United States v. Weller
Cases on the same legal provision: Selective Service statutes
- Tilton v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Brooks v. Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.
- Eagar v. Magma Copper Co.
- United States v. O'Brien
- Oestereich v. Selective Service System Local Board No. 11
- Duvernay v. United States.
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Garrison v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. LouisianaLaw held unconstitutional
- Cox v. Louisiana
- Freedman v. MarylandLaw held unconstitutional
- Henry v. Collins
- Dombrowski v. PfisterLaw held unconstitutional
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