Schenck v. United States

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
0 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 April 9, 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.

Official citation: (1919)  ·  U.S. Supreme Court  ·  1919
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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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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.

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