United States v. Peters

331 F. Supp. 903, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11946
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedAugust 20, 1971
DocketNo. 71 CR 396
StatusPublished

This text of 331 F. Supp. 903 (United States v. Peters) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.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. Peters, 331 F. Supp. 903, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11946 (N.D. Ill. 1971).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CAMPBELL, Senior District Judge.

The defendant, Neal Richard Peters, has filed a motion to dismiss an indictment charging him with refusing to submit to induction as ordered, in violation of the Military Selective Service Act of 1967. 50 U.S.C.App. Sec. 462. The induction order is challenged by the defendant on the ground that there was no basis in fact for his 1-A classification and for the rejection of his request for classification as a conscientious objector.

The scope of judicial inquiry in these eases is limited to an examination of the Selective Service System’s records [904]*904to ascertain whether a lawfully cognizable basis in fact supports the local board’s classification. Estep v. United States, 327 U.S. 114, 122-123, 66 S.Ct. 423, 90 L.Ed. 567 (1946); Dickinson v. United States, 346 U.S. 389, 396, 74 S.Ct. 152, 98 L.Ed. 132 (1953); United States v. Joyce, 437 F.2d 740, 744 (7th Cir. 1971).

Only last year, our Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit announced that: “(W)here the validity of a classification rejecting a claim as conscientious objector is in issue, and where the registrant described a belief which on its face fulfilled the legal requirements, (and where) the board did not state its reason for rejection, and the court can not otherwise determine with any degree of assurance that the decision really made by the board properly supported the rejection and had a basis in fact, the court should declare the classification invalid.” United States v. Lemmens, 430 F.2d 619, 624 (7th Cir., 1970); see also, United States ex rel. Hemes v. McNulty, 432 F.2d 1182, 1184-1185 (7th Cir., 1970).

In order to establish a prima facie case for classification as a conscientious objector, a registrant must show that he is conscientiously opposed to war in any form, Gillette v. United States, 401 U.S. 437, 91 S.Ct. 828, 28 L.Ed.2d 168 (1971), that his opposition stems from a “religious training and belief” as construed by United States v. Seeger, 380 U.S. 163, 85 S.Ct. 850, 13 L.Ed.2d 733 (1965) and Welsh v. United States, 398 U.S. 333, 90 S.Ct. 1792, 26 L.Ed.2d 308 (1970), and finally that he is sincere in his expressed convictions. Witmer v. United States, 348 U.S. 375, 75 S.Ct. 392, 99 L.Ed. 428 (1955). See Clay v. United States, 403 U.S. 698, 700, 91 S.Ct. 2068, 29 L.Ed.2d 810 (1971). Where the registrant has made such a showing, classification as a conscientious objector cannot be denied by either the local board or the appeal board, unless it determined, with some basis in fact, that the registrant did not deeply and sincerely hold the convictions he claims he has. United States v. Lemmens, 430 F.2d 619, 622 (7th Cir., 1970).

Applying these principles to the case before me, I am satisfied after a careful examination of the defendant’s Form 150 (Special Form For Conscientious Objector), the local board’s minutes of a “courtesy hearing” granted the defendant on his claim and other materials in the Selective Service file, that the beliefs expressed by the defendant qualify on their face for classification as a conscientious objector. Since the Government does not contend that the defendant did not make a sufficient prima facie showing, a detailed description of the defendant’s beliefs would serve only to unnecessarily lengthen this opinion. Suffice it to say that the defendant’s communications to the board reveal that he was conscientiously opposed to war in any form and that the opposition was based on the tenets of his religion as he understood them.

A prima facie claim for conscientious objection having been established, the question then becomes whether there exists a basis in fact for its rejection. The local board, following a courtesy hearing at which the defendant appeared before the board and answered its questions stated only that “The registrant did not convince the board that his religious training and beliefs were such to warrant the 1-0 classification.” This conclusory statement of the local board is, of course, susceptible to multiple interpretations, some of which, such as that the beliefs, even if true, would not entitle the registrant to the requested classification, would be erroneous as a matter of law. See Sicurella v. United States, 348 U.S. 385, 75 S.Ct. 403, 99 L.Ed. 436 (1955); United States v. Lemmens, 430 F.2d 619, 623 (7th Cir., 1970); United States v. Haughton, 413 F.2d 736, 743 (9th Cir., 1969). From the board’s statement alone, it is impossible to determine on what basis the board acted. Since it cannot be ascertained whether the local board acted upon a permissible basis in fact, this Court must invalidate the classification. [905]*905United States v. Joyce, 437 F.2d 740 (7th Cir., 1971); United States v. Lemmens, 430 F.2d 619 (7th Cir., 1970).

I turn next to the reasons offered by the appeal board as the basis of its rejection of the conscientious objection claim. The board found that the defendant’s claim was “not sincere” on the grounds of “convictions not deeply held” and “merely a personal moral code.” My review of the defendant’s Selective Service file has failed to uncover any facts which would justify questioning his sincerity. See United States v. Joyce, 437 F.2d 740, 745 (7th Cir., 1971). It is not sufficient for the board to merely state a disbelief in the registrant’s sincerity. United States v. James, 417 F.2d 826, 832 (4th Cir., 1969). If the board is denying a request for classification as a conscientious objector because of lack of sincerity, it should at least indicate those facts, such as inconsistent actions or statements of the registrant, shifty or evasive demeanor, lateness of the claim or other factors, on which it relied to reach its conclusion. United States ex rel. Hemes v. McNulty, 432 F.2d 1182, 1187 (7th Cir., 1970). Here the appeal board had before it only the registrant’s file. It did not have an opportunity to observe or question the defendant. The file itself contains no suggestion of bad faith or lack of sincerity.

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Related

Estep v. United States
327 U.S. 114 (Supreme Court, 1946)
Dickinson v. United States
346 U.S. 389 (Supreme Court, 1953)
Witmer v. United States
348 U.S. 375 (Supreme Court, 1955)
Sicurella v. United States
348 U.S. 385 (Supreme Court, 1955)
United States v. Seeger
380 U.S. 163 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Welsh v. United States
398 U.S. 333 (Supreme Court, 1970)
Gillette v. United States
401 U.S. 437 (Supreme Court, 1971)
Clay v. United States
403 U.S. 698 (Supreme Court, 1971)
United States v. Lonnie Leroy Haughton
413 F.2d 736 (Ninth Circuit, 1969)
United States v. Claude James, Jr.
417 F.2d 826 (Fourth Circuit, 1969)
United States v. Philip Archie Lemmens
430 F.2d 619 (Seventh Circuit, 1970)
United States v. Robinson Joyce, Jr.
437 F.2d 740 (Seventh Circuit, 1971)
United States ex rel. Hemes v. McNulty
432 F.2d 1182 (Seventh Circuit, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
331 F. Supp. 903, 1971 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11946, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-peters-ilnd-1971.