Ballard v. Commanding General

355 F. Supp. 143, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15524
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedJanuary 5, 1973
DocketCiv. A. No. 19991-3
StatusPublished

This text of 355 F. Supp. 143 (Ballard v. Commanding General) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ballard v. Commanding General, 355 F. Supp. 143, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15524 (W.D. Mo. 1973).

Opinion

FINAL JUDGMENT AND ORDER GRANTING PETITION FOR HABEAS CORPUS WITHOUT PREJUDICE

FACTS

WILLIAM H. BECKER, Chief Judge.

This is a petition and supplemental petition for federal habeas corpus by a member of the United States Army, presently on active duty at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, requesting a review of the legality of his induction. Petitioner pi’ays for a judgment ordering his discharge from, the United States Army, on the ground that he was unlawfully inducted into military service. With his original petition for federal habeas corpus (filed by his Wisconsin counsel) petitioner filed (1) an “Emergency Motion for Temporary Restraining Order” to restrain respondents from removing him from the jurisdiction of the Court, from “giving Petitioner any combatant orders” and “from ordering Petitioner to continue with ‘active’ or ‘physical’ basic training,” (2) a “Motion for Discovery and Inspection” requesting production of petitioner’s original “Selective Service file or Cover Sheet or for an exact copy thereof”, (3) a “Motion” pursuant to Rule 52(a), F.R.Civ.P., requesting that the Court “find the facts specially and state separately its conclusions of law thereon” and (4) an “Emergency Motion for Permission to Proceed in Forma Pauperis and for Appointment of Counsel” with suggestions and an affidavit in support thereof.

On February 7, 1972, petitioner was granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis. The respondents were ordered to show why the petition for habeas corpus should not be granted and the Federal Public Defender for the Western District of Missouri was appointed to represent petitioner. On February 8, 1972, an order restraining respondents and all persons acting under their authority from removing petitioner from the jurisdiction of this Court was entered but petitioner’s motion to restrain respondents from giving petitioner any combat orders or from ordering petitioner to continue with basic training was denied. Pursuant to leave granted by order dated February 10, 1972, petitioner filed his supplemental petition for habeas corpus stating allegations concerning his alleged exhaustion of administrative remedies. On February 25, 1972, petitioner, by his Court appointed counsel, filed his “Motion for Order Granting Writ of Habeas Corpus and Directing Petitioner’s Immediate Release from Custody” on the grounds, among others, that respondents’ failure timely to file their response to the order to show cause entitled petitioner to release.

A response to the order to show cause was filed by respondents on February 28, 1972. As a part thereof respondents filed (a) a copy of petitioner’s Selective Service file (Respondents’ Exhibit 1), (b) a copy of a letter dated February 19, 1971, [145]*145addressed to Department of the Army-Examining and Entrance Station, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from Dr. Harry B. Sadoff (Respondents’ Exhibit 2) concerning an examination of petitioner’s left foot and ankle,1 and (c) copies of petitioner’s medical records of proceedings by a United States Army Medical Board which was convened to evaluate the petitioner’s physical condition after being inducted into the United States Army (Respondents’ Exhibit 3). Respondents also filed an “Addendum to Response to Order to Show Cause.” As a part of the “Addendum,” respondents attached a copy of a pre-induction “Report of Medical Examination” (Respondents’ Exhibit 4) dated February 19, 1971. Petitioner’s traverse of the response to the order to show cause denies portions of the facts recited in the return to the order to show cause, accepts Respondents’ Exhibit 1 as a correct copy of petitioner’s Selective Service File and Respondents’ Exhibit 2 as a correct copy of a letter from Dr. Sadoff, but objects to admission of Respondents’ Exhibits 3 and 4 as being immaterial and irrelevant to the issues raised by the petition and because they ‘“do not purport to be an examination for purposes of determining eligibility for induction . '. . . ” Petitioner apparently does not challenge the veracity of these two exhibits for in his traverse petitioner relies on a portion of Respondents’ Exhibit 3 for his legal and factual contentions in support of the petition for habeas corpus.

In his original petition for federal habeas corpus, petitioner states the following as grounds for his contention that his induction into the United States Army was unlawful:

“19. The induction of petitioner was unlawful because his Order to Report for Induction (SSS Form 252), under which petitioner was inducted, was issued in violation of the Military Selective Service Act of 1967 and the Military Selective Service Act of 1971 and the rules, regulations, and directions issued pursuant thereto, all as more fully set forth in the following paragraphs.
“20. Petitioner’s local board and the Milwaukee Armed Forces Entrance and Examining Station arbitrarily and unlawfully found petitioner medically qualified during and after petitioner’s pre-induction physical examination during February, 1971 and petitioner’s physical inspection during November, 1971, all in violation of Section 4(a) of the Military Selective Service Act and Chapter 2, Army Regulation 40-501, SSLR 2203.
“21. Petitioner’s local board, the Wisconsin Selective Service System Headquarters, Milwaukee Armed Forces Entrance and Examining Station, and Headquarters, United States Army Recruiting Command, arbitrarily and unlawfully denied petitioner the registrant medical reevaluation and review.
“23.- Petitioner’s local board arbitrarily and unlawfully violated 32 CFR 1621.9 when it failed to mail petitioner’s Classification Questionnaire (SS Form 100) to petitioner.”

On November 3, 1972, a hearing was held with counsel for respondents and appointed counsel for petitioner to determine whether petitioner is entitled to immediate release from the United States Army on the basis of the record and pleadings in this cause. A copy of a partial proposed memorandum concerning petitioner’s claim of denial of admin[146]*146istrative due process by the local board’s alleged improper processing of petitioner’s medical claim was provided counsel for discussion at the hearing. As a result of the hearing the following statement of facts was submitted by counsel for petitioner and is substantially agreed to by counsel for respondents. (The areas of disagreement will be indicated hereinafter).

On August 5, 1969, almost six months late, petitioner registered with Local Board 44, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On the same date a classification questionnaire was filled in by typewriter with the assistance of a secretary or a clerk of Local Board 44 and signed by petitioner. In this questionnaire petitioner answered that he had a “bad ankle” which in his opinion would disqualify him from service, but he did not attach a physician’s statement as requested in the printed form. Because petitioner had not previously registered, the classification questionnaire had not been mailed to him. Also on August 5, 1969, petitioner completed and filed a “Statement of Late Registrant” giving his reasons for late registration.

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Bluebook (online)
355 F. Supp. 143, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 15524, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ballard-v-commanding-general-mowd-1973.