United States v. Huisinga

300 F. Supp. 204, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8401
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Illinois
DecidedApril 28, 1969
DocketCrim. No. 68-23
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 300 F. Supp. 204 (United States v. Huisinga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Huisinga, 300 F. Supp. 204, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8401 (illinoised 1969).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JUERGENS, Chief Judge.

Defendant Jerry Lee Huisinga was charged in a one-count indictment with violation of the Universal Military Training Act, by failing to report for employment in civilian work contributing to the maintenance of the national health, safety or interest, and to remain in said employment for twenty-four consecutive months or until such time as he was released or transferred by proper authority, in that he knowingly failed and neglected to carry out the direction of his Local Board to report to said Local Board for assignment to hospital work at the Chicago State Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, thereby violating the pro[206]*206visions of Section 12 of the Act (Title 50 U.S.C.App. § 462).

The cause was tried before the Court without a jury — the jury having been waived by the defendant prior to the commencement of trial.

The cause was heard on January 27, 1969. At the conclusion of the government’s case, the defendant elected not to present any evidence, moved for judgment of acquittal and for a directed finding of not guilty. Following the trial, the parties requested and were granted leave to file briefs. Briefs have now been submitted and the cause is presently for consideration.

In support of his motion for judgment of acquittal, defendant sets forth twelve points, namely:

1. That the order to report for civilian work issued in lieu of induction and the balance of the Selective Service file introduced in evidence show that the order was void as not being authorized or by order of the entire Local Board as required by Selective Service Regulation.

2. That the defendant was denied procedural and substantive due process in that he was denied a meaningful physical examination at the time he was processed for civilian work.

3. That the evidence clearly shows that there was no basis in fact for the refusal of the Selective Service Board to properly classify the defendant Jerry Lee Huisinga as IV-D, Minister of Religion.

4. That there is no evidence to show that the defendant, at the time of the issuance of the order to report for civilian work in lieu of induction, would have at said time been available for induction had he not been classified other than I-A.

5. That there is no basis in fact for the failure of the Selective Service Board or the refusal of the Selective Service Board to reopen the classification of defendant and give full and fair consideration to his application for a new classification.

6. That the defendant was denied procedural and substantive due process of law by the arbitrary reclassification from I-S to 1-0 on October 27, 1967 in the absence of notice to the Board that there had been a change in his status as a “full-time student.”

7. That the entire Selective Service file on evidence displays that the registrant was denied procedural and substantive due process of law throughout the efforts to classify him by the Selective Service Board by reason of the manifest prejudice of the Chairman and members of the Board.

8. That the government wholly failed to establish and prove by competent evidence beyond a reasonable doubt every essential element of the offense charged in the indictment and has failed to overcome the presumption of innocence.

9. That the government has failed to establish and prove by competent evidence by a reasonable doubt the existence of the corpus delicti.

10. That the order to report for civilian service in lieu of induction upon its face is in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution which provides that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

11. That the Selective Service file and specifically those parts thereof objected to at the time of trial were erroneously admitted into evidence.

12. That the Selective Service file, standing by itself, is not sufficient to establish the guilt of Jerry Lee Huisinga beyond a reasonable doubt.

At the trial Norma Booty, Executive Secretary of Local Board No. 181, testified that as such she was custodian of all the records of the registrants of Local Board No. 181. She identified the records of the registrant Jerry Lee Huisinga, which were marked as Government’s Exhibits 1 through 40, and testified these records were kept in the ordi[207]*207nary course of business. The records were then offered into evidence — the defendant objecting generally to the entire file and specifically to: Government Exhibit 33, a memorandum dated May 1, 1968, stating, “The above-named registrant did not report to Local Board No. 181.”; No. 34, a carbon copy of a letter directed to the Chicago State Hospital; No. 35, a letter of May 2, 1968, purportedly signed by Raymond Gibbs, the field personnel officer of the Chicago State Hospital. The records were admitted into evidence by the Court subject to the objections. The objection to admission of these documents into evidence will be hereinafter discussed.

This witness testified concerning the various government exhibits. She further testified that it was the administrative practice of the Board to issue orders in the manner in which théy were issued here, that the Board did not adopt resolutions concerning the issuance of orders.

Defendant contends that the Selective Service file and Government Exhibits 33, 34 and 35 are inadmissible. An almost identical question was presented to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in United States v. Holmes, 387 F.2d 781. That Court held that comparable exhibits were admissible in the trial court and did not deny the defendant of his constitutional right of confrontation, setting forth in detail the reasons therefor. The facts in Holmes are basically identical to the facts presented here. Defendant’s objection to the admission into evidence of the Selective Service file and the specific objections to Government’s Exhibits 33, 34 and 35 are without merit, and the Government’s Exhibits Nos. 1 through 40, inclusive, are admitted.

The evidence shows: A meeting of the Board was held at the Local Board office on April 1, 1968; the registrant Jerry Lee Huisinga was present as was also the representative of the Illinois State Director and the Clerk of the Local Board; and the registrant (defendant here) was sworn. The purpose of the meeting was explained and the conscientious objector work program was outlined; the registrant was given an opportunity to ask questions which he declined to do, stating that he understood and that according to his religion he could not compromise by going along with Selective Service. He was thereafter asked if he would accept civilian work in lieu of induction, which he declined. On April 3, 1968, the Clerk on behalf of the Local Board requested approval of the issuance of an order by the Local Board directing the registrant to perform hospital work at Chicago State Hospital, stating the refusal of the registrant to come to any agreement regarding the type of civilian work he should perform in lieu of induction and further advising that the work was available and considered to be appropriate for the registrant to perform.

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Related

Jerry Lee Huisinga v. United States
422 F.2d 635 (Seventh Circuit, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
300 F. Supp. 204, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8401, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-huisinga-illinoised-1969.