Johnson v. Hoffman

424 F. Supp. 490, 16 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 371
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedJanuary 18, 1977
Docket76-555C(4)
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 424 F. Supp. 490 (Johnson v. Hoffman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Johnson v. Hoffman, 424 F. Supp. 490, 16 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 371 (E.D. Mo. 1977).

Opinion

424 F.Supp. 490 (1977)

Richard Jerome JOHNSON, on behalf of himself and on all others similarly situated, Plaintiff,
v.
Martin HOFFMAN, Individually and in his official capacity as Secretary of the Army, et al., Defendants.

No. 76-555C(4).

United States District Court, E. D. Missouri, E. D.

January 18, 1977.

*491 Christopher T. Hexter, Schuchat, Cook & Werner, St. Louis, Mo., for plaintiff.

Wesley D. Wedemeyer, Asst. U. S. Atty., U. S. Dept. of Justice, St. Louis, Mo., for defendants.

MEMORANDUM

NANGLE, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court upon defendants' motion to dismiss, or alternatively for summary judgment, following oral arguments heard on November 12, 1976. Plaintiff filed suit herein, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1343, 1361 and 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., asserting that paragraph 2-34(a) of Army Regulation 40-501 violates his rights under the law. The challenged provision provides:

The causes for rejection for appointment, enlistment, and induction are —
A. Character and behavior disorders, as evidenced by —
(1) Frequent encounters with law enforcement agencies, or anti-social attitudes or behavior which, while not a cause for administrative rejection, are tangible evidence of an impaired characterological capacity to adapt to the military service.

Plaintiff contends that this regulation has a disparate impact upon black persons as it allows the Army to base its decision for rejection upon arrests.

Defendant Martin Hoffman is the Secretary of the Army. Defendant Lt. Gen. R. R. Taylor is the Surgeon General of the United States Army. Defendant Maj. Lee Wilson is the commanding officer of the Armed Forces Examining and Entrance Station in St. Louis, Missouri.

Defendants first argue that the issues raised herein are not justiciable. In support of this position, the Court has been cited to Orloff v. Willoughby, 345 U.S. 83, 73 S.Ct. 534, 97 L.Ed. 842 (1953). In this case, a doctor petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus, asserting that he had been assigned to menial, and not medical, duties in the military. The Court held that it could not review the discretionary decision of how to assign men, and further stated that:

The military constitutes a specialized community governed by a separate discipline from that of a civilian. Orderly government requires that the judiciary be as scrupulous not to interfere with legitimate Army matters as the Army must be scrupulous not to intervene in judicial matters. Id. at 94, 73 S.Ct. at 540.

This attitude of non-intervention was reaffirmed in Parker v. Levy, 417 U.S. 733, 94 S.Ct. 2547, 41 L.Ed.2d 439 (1974) (suit brought by doctor who was court-martialed for disobeying an order to establish a training program and additionally for making public statements against the Army) in which the Court noted

While the members of the military are not excluded from the protection granted by the First Amendment, the different character of the military community and of the military mission requires a different application of those protections. The fundamental necessity for obedience and the consequent necessity for imposition of discipline may render permissible within the military that which would be constitutionally impermissible outside it. Id. at 758, 94 S.Ct. at 2563.

Again, in Gilligan v. Morgan, 413 U.S. 1, 93 S.Ct. 2440, 37 L.Ed.2d 407 (1973), a suit to restrain the governor of the state of Ohio from prematurely calling out the National Guard, the Court stated:

The complex, subtle, and professional decisions as to the composition, training, equipping, and control of a military force are essentially professional military judgments, *492 subject always to civilian control of the Legislature and Executive Branches. The ultimate responsibility for these decisions is appropriately vested in branches of the government which are periodically subject to electoral accountability. Id. at 10, 93 S.Ct. at 2446. [emphasis in original.]

Courts have declined to review discretionary military decisions in a wide variety of contexts. See Schlesinger v. Councilman, 420 U.S. 738, 95 S.Ct. 1300, 43 L.Ed.2d 591 (1975)(federal courts should not intervene in pending court martial proceeding for sale, transfer and possession of marijuana), reaffirmed in McLucas v. DeChamplain, 421 U.S. 21, 95 S.Ct. 1365, 43 L.Ed.2d 699 (1975); United States v. Tyson, 503 F.2d 1368 (5th Cir. 1974) (court refused to inquire into inductee's physical fitness); Anderson v. Laird, 437 F.2d 912 (7th Cir. 1971), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 865, 92 S.Ct. 68, 30 L.Ed.2d 109 (1971) (court held that issue of hair length was within military discretion and hence not reviewable); O'Mara v. Zebrowski, 447 F.2d 1085 (3d Cir. 1971) (court refused to review determination that reservist report for active service); Arnheiter v. Chafee, 435 F.2d 691 (9th Cir. 1970) (court refused to inquire concerning officer's relief from command).

Nonetheless, courts have reviewed military decisions to determine "[w]hat are the allowable limits of military discretion, and whether or not they have been overstepped in a particular case . . .". Sterling v. Constantin, 287 U.S. 378, 401, 53 S.Ct. 190, 196, 77 L.Ed. 375 (1932). See also, United States ex rel. Toth v. Quarles, 350 U.S. 11, 76 S.Ct. 1, 100 L.Ed. 8 (1955) (court determined that military tribunal could not exercise jurisdiction over ex-serviceman charged with crime committed while in service); Reid v. Covert, 354 U.S. 1, 77 S.Ct. 1222, 1 L.Ed.2d 1148 (1957) (court held that the military code would not be applied to civilian dependents); McElroy v. Guagliardo, 361 U.S. 281, 80 S.Ct. 305, 4 L.Ed.2d 282 (1960) (court held that there could not be a court martial in peacetime of a civilian employee of the armed forces); O'Callahan v. Parker, 395 U.S. 258

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Hodge v. Dalton
107 F.3d 705 (Ninth Circuit, 1997)
James v. Day
646 F. Supp. 239 (D. Maine, 1986)
Hill v. Berkman
635 F. Supp. 1228 (E.D. New York, 1986)
McIntosh v. White
582 F. Supp. 1244 (E.D. Arkansas, 1984)
Temengil v. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
1 N. Mar. I. Commw. 426 (Northern Mariana Islands, 1983)
Brown v. Frank IX & Sons, Inc.
530 F. Supp. 1230 (W.D. Virginia, 1982)
Cody v. Union Electric Co.
502 F. Supp. 1298 (E.D. Missouri, 1980)
Newton v. Kroger Co.
501 F. Supp. 177 (E.D. Arkansas, 1980)
Mosley v. General Motors Corp.
497 F. Supp. 583 (E.D. Missouri, 1980)
Taylor v. Jones
495 F. Supp. 1285 (E.D. Arkansas, 1980)
Gay v. Waiters' & Dairy Lunchmen's Union, Local No. 30
489 F. Supp. 282 (N.D. California, 1980)
Gay v. WAITERS'AND DAIRY LUNCHMEN'S UNION, LOCAL NO. 30
489 F. Supp. 282 (N.D. California, 1980)
Walker v. Robbins Hose Co. No. 1, Inc.
465 F. Supp. 1023 (D. Delaware, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
424 F. Supp. 490, 16 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 371, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/johnson-v-hoffman-moed-1977.