Opinion

United States v. John Kenneth Back, Jr.

  • 409 F.2d 1318
  • 1969 U.S. App. LEXIS 12620
Court
Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Filed
Apr 28, 1969
Status
Published
On the bench
Waterman, Smith, Feinberg
Cited by
2 cases
Authority
More cited than 68.8%

The opinion

PER CURIAM:

John Kenneth Back, Jr. appeals from a judgment of conviction for failing to report for induction into the Armed Forces in violation of 50 U.S.C. App. § 462(a), entered in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York after a trial before Thomas F. Murphy, J., sitting without a jury. Appellant claims that the evidence at trial was legally insufficient to prove that he knowingly and wilfully failed to report for induction, that there was no basis in fact for his 1-A classification, that he was not accorded procedural due process, and that the trial court erroneously denied him the right to prove sincerity and religious training and belief.

The question of appellant’s intent is an issue of fact which was resolved by the trier of fact, Judge Murphy. There was sufficient evidence to support the judge’s finding. The 1-A classification was supportable by the recommendation of the United States Department of Justice, which emphasized,

inter alia,

appellant’s “half formed” ideas, in suggesting that his claim for conscientious objector treatment be denied, see United States v. Purvis, 403 F. 2d 555, 559 (2d Cir. 1968); United States v. Gearey, 368 F.2d 144, 148 (2d Cir. 1966), by the belatedness of appellant’s claim, see United States v. Gearey, 379 F.2d 915, 920-921 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 389 U.S. 959 , 88 S.Ct. 335 , 19 L. Ed.2d 368 (1967), and by appellant’s unconvincing personal appearance before the local board. Without deciding whether any of these factors standing alone would provide the necessary basis in fact for appellant’s classification, we conclude that their combined effect was sufficient.

*1320

There were no procedural deficiencies sufficient to amount to lack of due process, although objections such as those made here to the manner in which local boards keep a record of hearings before them will acquire greater significance in the future, now that factual inquiries into the beliefs and sincerity of alleged conscientious objectors will be made primarily at the local board level rather than by the Department of Justice. See, e. g., Reisner, The Conscientious Objector Exemption: Administrative Procedures and Judicial Review, 35 U.Chi.L.Rev. 686, 714-19 (1968); cf. United States v. Purvis,

supra,

403 F. 2d at 557 , 562 n. 20. Finally, Judge Murphy committed no error in excluding at the criminal trial evidence of appellant’s sincerity since the question before him was whether appellant’s classification by his draft board had a factual basis on the record before it. The Government strenuously argues that, in any event, defendant’s failure to exhaust his administrative remedies should bar the defenses raised below and in this court. While the argument is not without merit on this record, it is unnecessary to deal with it.

Judgment affirmed.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

A word about cookies

We need a few to keep you signed in and the library working. The rest help us see which pages people use and where they get stuck. They stay off unless you say yes.