Ex parte Hannig

106 F. Supp. 715, 1952 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4083
District Court, N.D. California·Decided August 5, 1952·No. No. 31076·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

OLIVER J. CARTER, District Judge.

Rosalie Irene ITannig, the wife of Jack Frederick Hannig seeks the release of- her husband from the Army of the United States by a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Jack Frederick Hannig is hereinafter referred to as “registrant.” The petition alleges that registrant has been illegally inducted into military service and that he now serves in the Army against his will and consent.

In response to the petition, the court issued an order to show cause. To this order respondent, the government, has made a return, and as a part thereof has incorporated a certified copy of registrant’s individual selective service file. The production of such a certified copy of registrant’s file was requested by the petition. Therefore, the facts gathered from that source are uncontested, and are as follows:

Registrant registered with his local selective service board on September 18, 1948. He was initially classified I-D because of his membership in an organized unit of the California National Guard. On August 10, 1950 -the National Guard Unit to which registrant belonged was ordered into active military service. Later during the month of August, 1950, registrant applied to the Commanding Officer of the Fortieth Division, National Guard, for a deferment from active duty. The Adjutant General of the State of California, on November 15, 1950, granted registrant an honorable discharge for reasons of “hardship.”

Thereafter, on January 9, 1951 registrant was reclassified I-A by his local board. Registrant made a personal appearance before his local board on March 8, 1951 and presented his arguments as to why he should be classified other than as I-A, but the local board again classified him thus. Registrant took an appeal from this classification, and the Appeal Board, by a unanimous vote, approved his I-A classification.

Registrant, on March 19, 1951, submitted to the local board a letter from a physician stating that registrant was being treated by [717] him for hay fever of increasing severity, and that registrant was allergic to various danders, such as wool, feathers, cattle, and to house dust. At this time registrant also submitted an affidavit, executed and signed by both of his parents, to the effect that affiants were supported by registrant. The affidavit further stated that affiants had no source of income other than contributions made by registrant and that neither of affiants were capable of seeking employment because the mother was going through menopause and was over the age for employment, and because the father was convalescing from a nervous collapse and a stomach condition. The local board determined that this information did not justify reopening registrant’s classification, and so notified him by letter. However, this information was sent to the Appeal Board and considered by it, together with further correspondence from registrant claiming entitlement to a III-A classification because of the dependency of his parents. All this preceded the Appeal Board’s classification of registrant as I-A, which act occurred on May 2, 1951.

The local board on May 7, 1951 notified registrant that he was ordered to report for induction on May 18, 1951. On the day following such notification registrant appeared at the office of the local board and informed the clerk of the board that he was a member of an organized unit of the Army Reserve. He was then instructed to have his commanding officer submit to the local board a completed NME Form No. 44, certifying his membership in an organized unit of a reserve component of the armed forces. On May 16, 1951 the local board wrote registrant a letter stating that he must report for induction on May 18, as .previously ordered. On May 17, 1951 registrant filed with the local board a completed NME Form 44, certifying that he had enlisted in the Army Reserve on May 14, 1951. The local board received the NME Form 44, but took no further action with respect to registrant, who was inducted into the Army on May 18, 1951.

The petition alleges that registrant has exhausted his administrative remedies, and this allegation is not contested by the government. Therefore, habeas corpus is the proper remedy to test the legality of his induction into the Army. Falbo v. United States, 320 U.S. 549, 64 S.Ct. 346, 88 L.Ed. 305; Billings v. Truesdell, 321 U.S. 542, 64 S.Ct. 737, 88 L.Ed. 917.

The government contends that registrant is without right to a writ of habeas corpus because he has delayed too long after induction in asking for such relief. This question is not decided. Assuming that timely application for the writ has been made, the petition, considered with the return to the order to show cause, fails to state a cause for the granting of the writ.

The scope of judicial inquiry in a habeas corpus proceeding which seeks the release of a selective service inductee from the armed forces is limited to the following three questions: (1) Did the local board which ordered the induction of the registrant have jurisdiction to act? (2) Was the registrant given a fair hearing? (3) Was there any evidence to support the order of induction? Eagles v. United States ex rel. Samuels, 329 U.S. 304, 311-312, 67 S.Ct. 313, 91 L.Ed. 308. The question of jurisdiction of the local board is reached only if there is no basis in fact for the classification which it gave the registrant. Estep v. United States, 327 U.S. 114, 122-123, 66 S.Ct. 423, 90 L.Ed. 567; Eagles v. United States ex rel. Samuels, supra, 329 U.S. 317, 67 S.Ct. 320.

The question of whether there is a basis in fact to support the classification given the registrant is a question of law to be decided by the judge from a consideration of the evidence which was before the selective service boards and upon which they acted. Cox v. United States, 332 U.S. 442, 453-454, 68 S.Ct. 115, 92 L.Ed. 59. Registrant’s selective service file indicates that there was a basis in fact for his classification as I-A.

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Ex parte Hannig, 106 F. Supp. 715, 1952 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4083 (N.D. Cal. 1952).

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