Ryan v. Hershey

308 F. Supp. 285, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8904
District Court, E.D. Missouri·Decided December 17, 1969·No. No. 69 C 361(2)·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

MEREDITH, District Judge.

John Michael Ryan has filed this petition for declaratory judgment, mandamus, injunction, and temporary restraining order. The defendants are Lewis B. Hershey, Director of the Selective Service System; Major General Adams, Director of the Selective Service System of Missouri; and Alex J. Arunski, Louis T. Saffa, Robert J. Concanon, and John Sherod, members of Selective Service Board No. 235. Jurisdiction is alleged under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1361, 2201, 2282, and 2284, and under the provisions of the Selective Service Act of 1967, 50 U.S.C. App. § 451 et seq.

Plaintiff is a registrant of Local Board 235 of St. Louis County, Missouri. He registered with the Selective Service System on September 14, 1961. From that date until 1968 he had various classifications, including II-S (Student) and III— A (hardship). On December 10, 1968, plaintiff was classified III-A, because of extreme hardship to dependents. On March 4, 1969, he was reclassified I-A. [286] On April 28, 1969, plaintiff was found medically acceptable for military service.

On May 6, 1969, Ryan personally appeared before Local Board 235 and claimed his right to be classified III-A because of extreme hardship to dependents. Plaintiff was classified I-A by a vote of two to one. On June 30, 1969, he was classified I-A by the appropriate appeal board. On June 30, 1969, the local board mailed plaintiff an order to report for induction on July 14, 1969. On July 2, 1969, he requested and was given SSS Form 150 for conscientious objectors. This form was returned completed on July 8, 1969.

On July 9, 1969, plaintiff was advised that his induction originally scheduled for July 14, 1969, was postponed until further notice. On September 12, 1969, plaintiff requested that the local board change his classification to III-A. In support of this request, plaintiff submitted a statement from his physician indicating that his wife was pregnant, and would be confined for delivery of the child on or about May 7, 1970. On October 29, 1969, the Missouri State Headquarters of the Selective Service System informed plaintiff’s ' employer that no error or omission had occurred in plaintiff’s processing to date. A letter dated November 5, 1969, informed Ryan that the local board reviewed his file on November 4, 1969, but could find no justifiable cause for reopening his classification.

The first question this Court must decide is that of jurisdiction. Section 50 U.S.C. App. 460(b) (3) states:

“No judicial review shall be made of the classification or processing of any registrant by local boards, appeal boards, or the President, except as a defense to a criminal prosecution instituted under section 12 of this title * * * »

The Supreme Court has held that the above-mentioned section will not sustain a literal reading. Oestereich v. Selective Service Local Board No. 11, 393 U.S. 233, 89 S.Ct. 414, 21 L.Ed.2d 402 (1968); Clark v. Gabriel, 393 U.S. 256, 89 S.Ct. 424, 21 L.Ed.2d 418 (1968). In the Oestereich case the Court allowed pre-induction judicial review where the local board classified a divinity student I-A as a punitive measure. This action was without statutory basis and in conflict with plaintiff’s right explicitly established by statute and not dependent upon an act of judgment by the board. In Gabriel the Court did not allow prein-duction review of plaintiff’s claim for conscientious-objector status, because an act of discretion was involved. From these two cases it would seem that judicial review is possible only when the board is refusing to grant a classification or exemption that is mandatory under the statute. If the board has any discretion, then judicial review is not possible.

In the present case the Court must examine plaintiff’s allegations to determine if the acts were a breach of a mandatory duty or involved discretion. He alleges that the board had a duty to reopen his classification when he claimed status as a conscientious objector and as III-A. As previously noted, he received an induction order before he requested either of these classifications. He further alleges that he should have been given an opportunity to personally appear before the board in making his claim as a conscientious objector in accordance with Local Board Memorandum No. 41 (As Amended July 30, 1968). It is the opinion of the Court that because of 32 C.F.R. 1625.2, that memorandum applies only when making a claim as a conscientious objector before an order to report for induction. After a registrant has received an order to report for induction, his rights are governed by 32 C.F.R. 1625.2 which states in part:

“ * * * the classification of a registrant shall not be reopened after the local board has mailed to such registrant an Order to Report for Induction * * * unless the local board first specifically finds there has been a change in the registrant’s [287] status resulting from circumstances over which the registrant had no control.”

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

Ryan v. Hershey, 308 F. Supp. 285, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8904 (E.D. Mo. 1969).

308 F. Supp. 285 (Ryan v. Hershey) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Ryan v. Hershey
445 F.2d 560 (Eighth Circuit, 1971)