Home > Great American Court Cases > Cantwell v. Connecticut

Legal Citation: 310 U.S. 296 (1940)

Appellant
Newton Cantwell

Appellee
State of Connecticut

Appellant's Claim
That a state law requiring prior official approval before soliciting door-to-door violates the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion.

Chief Lawyer for Appellant
Hayden C. Covington

Chief Lawyers for Appellee
Edwin S. Pickett and Francis A. Pallotti

Justices for the Court
Hugo Lafayette Black, William O. Douglas, Felix Frankfurter, Charles Evans Hughes, James Clark McReynolds, Frank Murphy, Stanley Forman Reed, Owen Josephus Roberts (writing for the Court), Harlan Fiske Stone

Justices Dissenting
None

Place
Washington, D.C.

Date of Decision
20 May 1940

Decision
While asserting that a state has the right to issue appropriate time, place,...