Rheingans v. Clark

314 F. Supp. 1398, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12763
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. California
DecidedNovember 18, 1968
DocketNo. 50181
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 314 F. Supp. 1398 (Rheingans v. Clark) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rheingans v. Clark, 314 F. Supp. 1398, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12763 (N.D. Cal. 1968).

Opinion

ORDER

PECKHAM, District Judge.

Plaintiff filed this action for a preliminary injunction enjoining the defendants from ordering him to report for civilian work as a conscientious objector. He contends his local Selective Service Board erred in refusing to reopen and consider his classification and alleges that he is entitled to deferment for hardship to or dependency of his parents in a III-A classification rather than his current I-O.

The defendants contend this court lacks jurisdiction over this matter and further claim the local board acted properly in refusing to reopen the plaintiff’s classification. For the reasons stated below, this court finds neither contention of the defendants persuasive and hence orders the preliminary injunction be issued.

Initially, the defendants argue that 50 U.S.C. App. § 460(b) (3) bars any civil action to enjoin the ordering of a selective service registrant for civilian work. Though many cases have held that 50 U.S.C. App. § 460(b) (3) precludes any judicial review by way of civil actions (see defendants’ memorandum of points and authorities), this court finds the reasoning of Judge Alfonso J. Zirpoli in Petersen v. Clark, 285 F.Supp. 700 (N.D. Cal. 1968) persuasive. In Petersen, Judge Zirpoli ruled that the restriction on review of § 460(b) (3) was a denial of due process under the Fifth Amendment and, therefore, unconstitutional. Chief Judge George B. Harris followed the Petersen rationale in Gabriel v. Clark, 287 F.Supp. 369 (N.D. Cal. 1968), appeal filed 37 L.W. 3104 (1968).

In adopting the Petersen approach, this court need not recite the reasoning and precedent analyzed with thoroughness by Judge Zirpoli. The facts of the Petersen case are substantially similar to those in the instant ease to warrant the application . of the Petersen rationale. The plaintiff in Petersen sought pre-criminal and pre-compliance judicial review of his local board’s order for induction. Among his contentions, he alleged the local board had arbitrarily refused to reopen his classification.

The plaintiffs in both Petersen and the present matter faced a precarious dilemma under the existing Congressional scheme stated in § 460(b) (3). Only two alternatives existed to challenge via judicial review the validity of a Selective Service Board’s actions concerning classification and attendant procedures. The registrant could either comply with the allegedly invalid order, subsequently seeking judicial review through a writ of habeas corpus. Or, alternatively, he could risk imprisonment by ignoring the induction order and raising the issue of its validity as a defense to a criminal prosecution.

Though some governmental interests may support the continuance of this Hobson’s choice (see Petersen v. Clark, 285 F.Supp. 700, 711-712 (N.D. Cal. 1968)), accepted notions of due process cannot be harmonized with conditioning judicial review on complying with an invalid order or risking a criminal penalty. When weighed against the potential and substantial restraints upon an individual’s liberty, these governmental interests do not justify the limited avenues of judicial review open to the registrant by § 460(b) (3). Accordingly, this court agrees with the holding in Petersen that § 460(b) (3) is unconstitutional in denying due process to registrants wishing to challenge the validity of induction or work orders.

The defendants next contend this court lacks jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331, since the matter in controversy does not exceed the sum or value of $10,000. Yet, [1401]*1401in determining whether a substantial claim exists for an amount which satisfies the statute, this court will look not only to the pleadings but to any submitted affidavits or evidence in the court record. In his declaration submitted November 8, 1968, the plaintiff states he currently earns “between $800.00 and $900.00 per month as salary, which monies are used to support both my parents and myself.” He further alleges on information and belief that his salary in the civilian work ordered by the Selective Service System would be approximately $315.00 per month. (This figure exceeds the salary approximation stated by the Chief of the Registration and Conscientious Objector Section, California Headquarters, Selective Service System (p. 69 of plaintiff’s selective service file)). These salary figures are in accord with the plaintiff’s testimony before this court on November 8, 1968.

Therefore, during the 24-month period of civilian work as a conscientious objector, the plaintiff would earn approximately $7,560. If he continued in his current employment, he would earn approximately between $19,200-$21,600 during the 24 months. Since the difference between these two salaries exceeds $10,000, the plaintiff has satisfied the monetary jurisdictional requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 1331.

The defendants next contend that the plaintiff failed to present a prima facie case for re-opening and re-classification as a III-A. Thus, the defendants allege, the local Selective Service Board properly exercised its discretion in refusing to reopen the plaintiff’s classification.

The relevant regulation, 32 C.F.R. § 1625.2, provides that a “local board may reopen and consider anew the classification of a registrant * * * [if presented with] facts not considered when the registrant was classified which, if true, would justify a change in the registrant’s classification * * In interpreting this regulation, the courts, including the Ninth Circuit, have framed the following approach: when a prima facie case for reclassification is presented, the local board is required to re-open the record to determine whether the registrant is entitled to the change requested. Miller v. United States, 388 F.2d 973 (9th Cir. 1967); Stain v. United States, 235 F.2d 339 (9th Cir. 1956).

Thus, the issue before this court is whether the defendant presented to the Selective Service Board a prima facie case for a III-A dependency or hardship classification; the merits of the claim for a change in classification are not here involved. A prima facie case arises when offered facts, if true and uncontradicted, would be sufficient under the regulation to warrant granting the requested classification. Miller v. United States, 388 F.2d 973, 975 (9th Cir. 1967). When such facts are not frivolous and present a prima facie case, then the board’s refusal to reopen the case constitutes a denial of procedural due process. Stain v. United States, 235 F.2d 339, 343 (9th Cir. 1956). Since a reopening gives the registrant rights to a personal interview and administrative appeals under 32 C.F.R. §§ 1625.11-1625.14, refusing to reopen forecloses the registrant from exercising these rights.

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Bluebook (online)
314 F. Supp. 1398, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12763, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rheingans-v-clark-cand-1968.