Clay v. United States · US Supreme Court · 1971

Does the conviction stand?

Short answer: No: conviction overturned.

The facts. Muhammad Ali refused induction into the US military in 1967, claiming to be a conscientious objector. He was convicted, stripped of his title, and barred from boxing. He appealed all the way up.

The ruling. Clay v. United States (1971): The Court unanimously overturned the conviction because the appeal board never gave a reason for denying his exemption.

Ali never went to prison, but he lost about three prime years of his boxing career. Justice Marshall recused himself, so the vote was 8 to 0.

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For fun, not legal advice.