Schenck v. United States

Q: What court decided United States?

Schenck v. United States was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1919.

Q: What legal issues are involved in United States?

Schenck v. United States involves the following religious liberty issues: Free Speech & Religion.

Legal Case

Defendants convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for distributing pamphlets urging resistance to military draft did not have First Amendment protection when speech presented a clear and present danger.

ReligiousLiberty.TV February 26, 2026 1 min read

Cite This Case

Schenck v. United States (U.S. 1919).

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Schenck v. United States (U.S. Supreme Court, 1919). https://religiousliberty.tv/case-library/schenck/

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⚠ No official reporter citation found for this case. Citation quality will improve once a reporter citation (e.g. 573 U.S. 682) is added to the case record.

Schenck v. United States [U.S. Supreme Court, 1919] — Defendants convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for distributing pamphlets urging resistance to military draft did not have First Amendment protection when speech presented a clear and present danger. Source: ReligiousLiberty.TV (https://religiousliberty.tv/case-library/schenck/, accessed September 20, 2026).

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⚠ No official reporter citation found for this case. Citation quality will improve once a reporter citation (e.g. 573 U.S. 682) is added to the case record.

Year: 1919 Court: U.S. Supreme Court

Free Speech & Religion

Holding: Defendants convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for distributing pamphlets urging resistance to military draft did not have First Amendment protection when speech presented a clear and present danger.

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Official Documents

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Coverage on ReligiousLiberty.TV

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Referenced

Schenck v. United States is a Free Speech & Religion case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1919. The court held that defendants convicted under the Espionage Act of 1917 for distributing pamphlets urging resistance to military draft did not have First Amendment protection when speech presented a clear and present danger.