Gene Woo v. United States

350 F.2d 992, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4432
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedSeptember 27, 1965
Docket19354
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 350 F.2d 992 (Gene Woo v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gene Woo v. United States, 350 F.2d 992, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4432 (9th Cir. 1965).

Opinions

BARNES, Circuit Judge.

Appellant was charged and adjudged guilty in the district court with failing to submit himself for induction, and to be inducted, after being classified as Class I-A and being ordered inducted under the terms of the “Universal Military Training and Service Act.” (50 U.S.C.App. § 462(a).) Jurisdiction below rested upon 18 U.S.C. § 3231. It rests here upon 28 U.S.C. §§ 1291 and 1294.

When appellant first registered for selective service, he claimed no exemption as a minister or student preparing for the ministry. He first asserted a claim as a conscientious objector after [993]*993he was notified of his I-A classification. Three years later, having requested a conscientious objector form (Form SSS 150), but never having returned it, he failed to appeal or request a personal appearance before the Board (although advised by the Board he could do either) after notice of his I-A reclassification.

He later requested a second conscientious objector’s form and returned it with certain information.1 He again was classified as I-A by the Board, was notified of it and failed to appeal or request a personal appearance. He was then ordered to report for a physical examination, did so, and was accepted for military service. He then again requested an SSS Form 150, and returned it with certain information.2

We note that of the twelve factual statements in the second Form 150 filed February 23, 1962, nine were the same as, or very similar to, nine facts alleged in the first Form 150 filed with the Board August 14, 1961. The additional facts added by the second form were;

(1) That appellant had rejected four opportunities to work for highway agencies;

(2) that appellant had changed his “hope” of going back to Hong Kong to marry and to buy a house;

(3) that the religious sect of appellant’s parents was Buddhism.

Appellant also elaborated somewhat upon his belief to say he desired “to gain more knowledge of Jehovah, to become perfect, and thus to be accepted in the new world.”

The government brief points out several matters that cast doubt on the inferences appellant requests us to draw as to his sincerity, and demonstrates an absolute failure on his part to exhaust his administrative remedies, and a determination to completely disregard them.

Appellant testified at trial that he still had the first Form SSS 150 which [994]*994he had requested. Asked why he requested a second form, he said, “I forgot. I don’t know. I know I received — I received three forms.” He recalled receiving a card in May 1961 advising him of his I-A classification, but said he did not understand what “appeal” meant until two days later and that he still did not know how to write a letter and put the word “appeal” in a sentence. He admitted that, prior to 1961, when he filled out the second conscientious objector form, he had had one and one-half years of college (using English textbooks) in the San Francisco area.

Appellant testified that he did not appeal the September 1961 classification because he thought it of no use in that he did not receive the notification until more than ten days after he was officially classified. He testified that when he reported for physical examination he had no conversation with anyone concerning his objections to military service. He never went to the draft board or talked to anyone in selective service about appealing his classification.

(In connection with the question of appellant’s sincerity, as it relates to the validity of the local board’s classification decision, see Judge Duniway’s opinion in Greiff v. United States, 9 Cir., decided July 21, 1965, 348 F.2d 914, and particularly the cases cited in the last paragraph.)

The Selective Service Board then reviewed appellant’s case, and voted not to reopen the question of classification.

Two questions arise under these facts: (1) is appellant entitled as a matter of right to have his case reopened; or (2) is appellant entitled to assert the defense of “wrongful classification” at his trial to justify his previous refusal to be inducted?

We think a portion of the opinion of the court below ably discusses the appellant’s issues. There it was said:

“[T]he draft law * * * exempts from compulsory military service any person ‘who, by reason of religious training and belief, is conscientiously opposed to participation in war in any form’. 50 U.S.C. App. 456 (j). Conformably the selective service regulations (1622.2) have provided for those claiming status as conscientious objectors, classifications of I-A-0 (conscientious objector available for noncombatant military service only), and of 1-0 (conscientious objector available for civilian work contribution to the maintenance of the national health, safety or interest). A registrant who claims such status and is nevertheless classified I-A (available for military service) by the local board, has the right to request a personal appearance before the local board for reconsideration of the classification (Sec. 1624.1) and the right to appeal to the selective service appeal board (Sec. 1626.-1, et seq.). If the registrant’s claim of conscientious objection to military service is not sustained on preliminary review by the appeal board, the file is referred to the United States Attorney for investigation and hearing in the Department of Justice on the merits of the claim (Sec. 1626.-25). Thereafter, and in the light of the information so obtained, the registrant’s classification is again reviewed by the appeal board and a decision is made.
The regulations also provide for a possible reopening of a registrant’s classification by the local board in its discretion upon the written request of the registrant. (Sec. 1625.-2. )
A claim of conscientious objection presents a difficult factual determination of the subjective sincerity of the claim and of whether it arises from religious training and belief.
The anomaly in the entire situation exists because regardless of the extent to which the administrative procedures have been utilized, there can be no stronger proof of the sincerity of the registrant’s objections than his willingness to subject [995]*995himself to a possible five year penitentiary sentence for draft evasion rather than to submit to compulsory service after his claim of exempt status has been rejected. Whether the objections are generated from religious training or belief remains an open question.
Nevertheless, the Government, while giving every consideration to those whose conscientious objections to military service are sincerely based on religious training and belief, cannot permit such a claim to be an escape hatch from the draft for citizens whose objections to service are spuriously asserted to be religiously dictated.

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Gene Woo v. United States
350 F.2d 992 (Ninth Circuit, 1965)

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Bluebook (online)
350 F.2d 992, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gene-woo-v-united-states-ca9-1965.