Witmer v. United States

Petitioner, a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, stands convicted of failing to submit to induction into the armed forces in violation of § 12 (a) of the Universal Military-Training and Service Act, 62 Stat. 622, 50 U. S. C. App. § 462 (a). On trial, he centered his defense on the contention that he was wrongfully denied exemption as a conscientious objector. This Term, we have been asked to review a relatively large number of criminal prosecutions involving various procedural and substantive problems encountered in effectuating the congressional policy of exempting conscientious objectors…