United States v. Seeger
United States Supreme Court
380 U.S. 163 (1965)
Seeger (defendant) refused induction into the armed forces based on a sincere, individually developed ethical creed opposing war, without adherence to any traditional religious sect, and the district court found his objection sincere, honest, and grounded in genuine study of religious and cultural fields, but his exemption request was denied because his beliefs were not tied to an orthodox religion. Seeger was convicted for refusing the draft, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.
Whether a federal draft exemption for religious conscientious objectors extends to a sincere, individually developed ethical belief occupying the same central role in a person's life as orthodox belief in God, even without any connection to a traditional organized religion.