Gene Ball v. Board of Trustees of the Kerrville Independent School District

584 F.2d 684, 1978 U.S. App. LEXIS 7580

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Decided: November 20, 1978
• Docket: 76-4456
• Status: Published

Opinions

PER CURIAM:

This appeal represents one of various stages of litigation in which the appellant Ball has sought judicial relief from his disemployment at the hands of the Board of Trustees of the Kerrville Independent School District. The discrete question on appeal is whether the district court erred in dismissing the appellant’s suit for reinstatement. Although relying upon a different methodology, we affirm the judgment of the lower court.

Because an exhaustive recital of procedural and legal history of this case would be exhausting, only those that are pertinent will be forced on the reader. Appellant had taught at the Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas for six years continuously prior to the 1969-1970 school year. His one year contract for the 1969-1970 school year was terminated, however, on September 3, 1969 for his refusal to shave a Van Dyke beard. Appellant pursued his administrative remedies to the State Board of Education before whom he was successful. The Kerrville Independent School District elected to continue the administrative procedure by appealing the decision of the State Board to the District Court of Kerr County. Immediately upon notice of the district appeal, appellant filed a § 1983 action against appellees claiming that appellees abridged appellant’s fourteenth amendment right of liberty and equal protection. As relief, appellant sought both money damages under the contract and reinstatement. The district court, taking notice of the pending state action, dismissed, directing appellant to seek his relief in the state proceeding in a good faith adversary manner. The dismissal was expressly made without prejudice and the appellant was invited to reinstate whatever federal claim remained after the state proceedings. This court affirmed the dismissal and the Supreme Court refused to grant certiorari. Ball v. Board of Trustees, Kerrville Ind. School District, 442 F.2d 408 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 865, 92 S.Ct. 58, 30 L.Ed.2d 108 (1971). Appellant returned to the state machinery and was ultimately successful in receiving his money damages. He did not ever press his claim for reinstatement, however. Because of this failure, the district court determined that appellant did not litigate his claim in good faith in state court and declined to reinstate federal jurisdiction by dismissing appellant’s renewed § 1983 complaint. Appellant then timely appealed the dismissal to this court.

The district court dismissed this suit based upon the appellant’s failure to submit his entire claim to state determination. In sustaining this dismissal, we find that the appellant failed to raise a substantial federal question. The employment of Ball, an untenured high school teacher employed under a one-year contract at Tivy High School was terminated by the Trustees of the Kerrville Independent School District. The assigned reason was his refusal to shave his Van Dyke beard. Of course, reemployment could be refused, for any reason, or for no reason at all. Having no right to reemployment he had no due process right to a hearing as to the reasons for dismissal. Board of Regents of State Colleges v. Roth, 408 U.S. 564, 92 S.Ct. 2701, 33 L.Ed.2d 548 (1972); Perry v. Sinder-mann, 408 U.S. 593, 92 S.Ct. 2694, 33 L.Ed.2d 570 (1972).

A due process claim for violation of a “liberty interest” entitling Ball to a full hearing would arise if — and only if — the reason given or the dismissal procedure adopted resulted in a “badge of infamy,” public scorn, or the like. Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693, 96 S.Ct. 1155, 47 L.Ed.2d 405 (1976); Dennis v. S&S Consolidated School District, 577 F.2d 338, 340-341 (5th Cir. 1978); Kaprelian v. Texas Woman’s University, 509 F.2d 133, 139 (5th Cir. 1975).

But public knowledge that Ball’s refusal to shave his beard clearly bore no such taint. It is clear beyond cavil that choosing to wear a beard rather than be clean shaven — or disapproval of either choice — has no effect on a man’s profession or his ability to earn a livelihood. State administrative procedures resulted in Ball’s being paid his salary in full for the term of his employment. No other or further redress at the hands of the Board of Trustees or its individual members may be had under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, or under any accepted concept of federal constitutional rights. Ball urgently insists on appeal that his federal claim should not have been dismissed below without an opportunity for full hearing. Assuming arguendo the academic correctness of this proposition, the claim of violation of a liberty interest by the Board’s action is “wholly insubstantial and frivolous.” Federal courts do not sit to entertain such claims.

“Lack of substantiality in a federal question may appear either because it is obviously without merit or because its unsoundness so clearly results from previous decisions of [the Supreme Court] as to foreclose the subject.” Mays v. Kirk, 414 F.2d 131, 135 (5th Cir. 1969), quoting from California Water Service Co. v. City of Redding, 304 U.S. 252, 58 S.Ct. 865, 867, 82 L.Ed. 1323 (1938).

This two-pronged test is fully met here.¹ The district court is

AFFIRMED.

1 . For a recent application of the “wholly unsubstantial and frivolous” doctrine as warranting dismissal, see Southpark Square Limited, etc. v. City of Jackson, Mississippi, 565 F.2d 338, 341-42 (5th Cir. 1978).