United States v. Olvera

132 F. Supp. 565, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2242
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedAugust 18, 1954
DocketCr. No. 5805
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 132 F. Supp. 565 (United States v. Olvera) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Olvera, 132 F. Supp. 565, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2242 (S.D. Tex. 1954).

Opinion

ALLRED, District Judge.

Defendant was charged by indictment with failing and refusing to submit himself for assignment to civilian work, in lieu of induction into the armed forces, as a conscientious objector, as directed by his local draft board, in violation of 50 U.S.C.A.Appendix, § 462. A jury was waived and the case submitted to the [566]*566court on an agreed statement of facts, consisting of the. record of the local Board. Defendant’s contentions will be discussed as stated.

This is a Jehovah’s Witness case. Defendant, now 22 years old, registered with the local board at San Diego, Texas, on December 12, 1949. In December 1950 he filled out his questionnaire and returned it to the board. His answer to the various questions claimed: that he was a minister of religion, regularly served as such and had been ordained on March 24, 1949; that he also did secular work, averaging 57 hours a week, as a delivery man and janitor at a drugstore, earning $25 a week. A longhand letter, signed by one Eduardo Garcia, accompanying the questionnaire, stated that he (Garcia) had known defendant for the past three years “as a minister of the Gospel * * * now in charge of a local congregation in Alice.” Defendant also signed “Series XIV” of the questionnaire, claiming to be a conscientious objector.

At the same time defendant wrote the board a letter, asserting his claimed ministerial status but requesting the board to send him “the special form for Conscientious Objector.” He filled out this form and transmitted it to the board with a long letter, dated December 25, 1950, as to his beliefs, activities as a representative of the Watchtower Society, assistant company servant in the Spanish unit of the Alice congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc., stating that he had been “ordained” to do such work; that it was all ministerial work; that he preached from door to door and did secular work “part of the time” to keep up his work as a minister, which, he stated, “is my vocation.”

On February 8, 1951, the local board denied defendant’s claim for ministerial exemption and classified him 1 — A—O for service for non-combatant military duty. He requested and was granted a personal appearance before the board. As a result the board reclassified him as 1-0, conscientious objector liable for civilian work contributing to the national health, safety, etc. Defendant appealed from the refusal to grant his claim of ministerial exemption. The appeal board denied this claim and reclassified defendant 1-0, conscientious objector, on August 7,1952. Pursuant to an order from the local board, defendant reported for physical examination on September 19, 1952, was accepted and so notified on September 24, 1952.

On October 6, 1952, defendant filed with the board a letter dated September 29, 1952, requesting a reopening and reconsideration of his classification.1 With the letter defendant filed: (1) letters written on the letterhead of the Watchtower Bible Tract Society, appointing defendant (a) a Bible study servant on May 17, 1949; (b) a school servant, March 7,1950; (c) an assistant company servant June 16, 1950; (d) an accounts servant, September 10, 1952; and (e) a letter from the Watchtower Society, dated October 1,1952, certifying that defendant was a duly ordained minister, engaged in preaching and teaching, etc.; that he had been ordained March 20, 1949; that he presently officiates as assistant presiding minister of the Spanish [567]*567unit in Alice, etc.; (2) A letter dated September 28, 1952, signed by 18 members of the Alice, Texas, Spanish congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses, certifying that defendant “is a minister of our congregation and regularly and customerly (sic) performs the duties of a minister of our religion, and we recognize him as a minister of our religion;” (3) A letter, dated October 1, 1952, signed by Jose M. Castillo, stating that he had known defendant as a minister of the Gospel, and that defendant had been assigned to serve the congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses at Alice, Texas, by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society; and (4) A letter, dated October 2, 1952, signed by M. G. Kelly, Jr., that he had known defendant 8 years, during which he had been an earnest student of the Bible; that defendant had been baptized in 1949, had since held various ministerial duties and was then Assistant Minister to the Alice Spanish unit of Jehovah’s witnesses.

On October 17,1952, in response to defendant’s request for reconsideration, the Board notified him to appear October 22nd.2 At that time “A full hearing was conducted, but no record was made of the testimony given at the hearing.3 Defendant also says on brief: “The defendant testified that he was pursuing -the ministry full-time by devoting 40 hours per week to the performance of his duties and that he also spent 40 hours per week doing secular work to support himself •* * government does not dispute this, but says, on brief, that defendant’s verbal testimony was heard and documentary evidence considered. The stenographer’s partial transcript deals only with the board’s explanation of what duties defendant would have to perform as a conscientious objector and an effort to persuade him to select the type of work or the agency through which he would perform it; and defendant’s assertion that he was not interested in any jobs other than the one he had because he was a preacher and wanted to continue to work for the Houston Natural Gas Corporation4 and continue his preaching. Defendant also filed with the board a letter, dated October 21, 1952, presenting “full proof of my status as a minister of Jehovah God,” reciting his ordination “by God,” his authorization to preach and recognition as such by the Watchtower Society, his appointment as assistant minister to the Spanish unit, his keeping of the records and accounts, his instruction of the brethren in public speaking and oral presentation of the gospel, his conduct of Bible study, preaching on the streets and from house to house and that “following the apostolic example, I do secular work to sustain myself so as not to be a burden or put a stumbling block in the way of those to whom I preach. (Acts 18:3, 4).”

At the close of the hearing, the Board informed defendant that it was not mandatory on them to reopen his classification. They declined to do so and processed him for induction for civilian work as a conscientious objector. On April 15, 1953, it ordered him to report [568]*568to the Austin State Hospital for such duties. Defendant failed and refused to submit himself and this prosecution followed.

Defendant’s first proposition is that the local board’s refusal to reopen his classification was arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion, in violation of sections 1625.1, 1625.2 and 1625.4 of the Selective Service Regulation. Section 1625.2 reads:

“When Registrant’s Classification May Be Reopened and Considered Anew-. — The local board may reopen and consider anew the classification of a registrant (1) upon the written request of the registrant, * * * if such request is accompanied by written information presenting facts not considered when the registrant was classified, which, if true, would justify a change in the registrant’s classification * * * ” (Emphasis supplied).

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Bluebook (online)
132 F. Supp. 565, 1954 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-olvera-txsd-1954.