United States v. Sisson
399 U.S. 267 · Decided June 29, 1970 · 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. Sisson was decided on June 29, 1970 by a vote of 5–3. SCDB codes the disposition as “petition denied or appeal dismissed.” Justice John M. Harlan II 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
- 399 U.S. 267 · 90 S. Ct. 2117 · 26 L. Ed. 2d 608 · 1970 U.S. LEXIS 9
- Docket number
- 305
- Decided
- June 29, 1970
- Argued
- January 20, 1970
- Court era
- Burger Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Petition denied or appeal dismissed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–3
- Majority opinion
- John M. Harlan II
- Opinion assigned by
- Hugo L. Black
- How the case arrived
- Appeal
- Issue (SCDB)
- Conscientious objectors
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3731
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Hugo L. Black | Special concurrence | |
| Justice William O. Douglas | Dissent | |
| Justice John M. Harlan II | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice William J. Brennan Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Potter Stewart | Majority | |
| Justice Byron R. White | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Thurgood Marshall | Majority | |
| Chief Justice Warren E. Burger | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Did not participate: Harry A. Blackmun.
Full case caption
United States v. Sisson
SCDB identifiers: case 1969-129, docket 1969-129-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Conscientious objectors”
- Welsh v. United States
- Mulloy v. United States
- United States v. Weller
- Gillette v. United States
- Ehlert v. United States
- McGee v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 3731
- United States v. Sweet
- United States v. Braverman
- United States v. Mersky
- United States v. Jones
- United States v. Alejandro Garcia Ibarra
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Bryson v. United States
- Carlos v. New York
- Cowgill v. California
- Jones v. State Board of Education of Tennessee
- Cole v. Richardson
- Cain v. Kentucky
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