Davis v. Beason

Davis v. Beason
Argued December 9–10, 1889
Decided February 3, 1890
Full case nameDavis v. Beason, Sheriff.
Citations133 U.S. 333 (more)
10 S. Ct. 299; 33 L. Ed. 637; 1890 U.S. LEXIS 1915
Holding
Courts of the United States have jurisdiction to hear charges related to polygamy, even though it is a part of religious belief.
Court membership
Chief Justice
Melville Fuller
Associate Justices
Samuel F. Miller · Stephen J. Field
Joseph P. Bradley · John M. Harlan
Horace Gray · Samuel Blatchford
Lucius Q. C. Lamar II · David J. Brewer
Case opinion
MajorityField, joined by unanimous
Laws applied
Amendment I

Davis v. Beason, 133 U.S. 333 (1890), was a United States Supreme Court case affirming, by a 9–0 vote, that federal laws against polygamy did not conflict with the free exercise clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.