conscientious objector
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 348 U.S. 375 - Witmer v. United States · 1955Most cited · 1,667 citing opinions
sincerity test
The ultimate question in conscientious objector cases is the sincerity of the registrant in objecting, on religious grounds, to participation in war in any form. In these cases, objective facts are relevant only insofar as they help in determining the sincerity of the registrant in his claimed belief, purely a subjective question.
How often courts cite the cases defining “conscientious objector”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “conscientious objector” — 2,450 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1931–1955
- ORIGINAL
The conscientious objector is relieved from the obligation to bear arms in obedience to no constitutional provision, express or implied; but because, and only because, it has accorded with the policy of Congress thus to relieve him.