Source: http://www.leagle.com/decision/19821365554FSupp811_11226/MUNDY%20v.%20WEINBERGER
Timestamp: 2017-05-27 17:30:00
Document Index: 249620627

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 867', '§ 2105', '§ 867', '§ 867', '§ 1985', '§ 1985', '§ 605', '§ 11', '§ 11']

MUNDY v. WEINBERGER | 554 F.Supp. 811 (1982) | Leagle.com
554 F.Supp.
James K. Stewart, Charles B. Wayne, Schwalb, Donnenfeld, Bray & Silbert, Washington, D.C., for plaintiff.
William H. Briggs, Jr., Asst. U.S. Atty., Washington, D.C., for federal defendants and individual defendants Cooke, West, Hamilton and Siemer.
FootNotes 1. This was made explicit in a 1967 amendment to the Act. See Pub.L. No. 90-340, 82 Stat. 178 (amending 10 U.S.C. § 867(a)(1)).
10. In the memorandum, dated May 1, 1978, Cooke opined that the Court Executive position "clearly supports a supergarde at the 17 to 18 level" but added "if for some reason Judge Fletcher steps down as Chief Judge his successor would be saddled with Mundy .... In short, I think the ... Court Executive should ... serv[e] at the pleasure of the incumbent Chief Judge." The possibility that Fletcher might disagree was apparent to Cooke, as evidenced by his concluding sentence: "If you agree I will raise the subject with [Fletcher] so that he can appeal to you if he disagrees." The chief judge did appeal but to no avail, see infra.
11. The chief judge's displeasure at the delay in processing Mundy's promotion is evident. He wrote:
I trust that this letter will suffice to expedite Mr. Mundy's promotion without further delay. I am sure you also can appreciate the friction which matters such as this generate in our relationship with your department since inaction in this instance directly impacts upon the effectiveness of the Court to fulfill its statutory duties.
24. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia impliedly held in Lamont v. Haig, supra, that acts occurring inside the Pentagon may be considered acts occurring within the District of Columbia for venue purposes. In that case, numerous military and nonmilitary personnel were sued in the District. At least two had offices in the Pentagon, where they were served with process. Other defendants worked within the District proper. In its discussion of the factors the district court should consider on remand to determine whether venue was proper in the District of Columbia, as opposed to South Dakota where the effects of the decisions allegedly made in Washington were felt, the Court of Appeals drew no distinction between those defendants with offices in the Pentagon and those with offices in the District, nor did the district court do so on remand. Lamont v. Haig, No. 75-271 (D.D.C. February 26, 1981).
25. These requirements have been developed in cases where a plaintiff complains of formal administrative action taken pursuant to a statute. Although Mundy complains of informal agency action the same standing analysis is appropriate.
26. The "zone of interests" test incorporates into the standing inquiry elements of the test used to determine whether a private cause of action should be implied from a statute, for the latter also is concerned with "which class of litigants may enforce in court legislatively created rights or obligations." Davis v. Passman, 442 U.S. 228, 239, 99 S.Ct. 2264, 2274, 60 L.Ed.2d 846 (1979).
27. In Miele, twelve employees of the CMA sued the CMA's judges, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission seeking to overturn a decision of the CSC that the court was part of the judicial branch and thus not subject to the civil service system. The case was terminated by stipulation.
28. This concern is apparent in the House report that complains "the general public ... look with suspicion upon all things military and particularly on matters involving military justice." H.R.Rep. No. 491, 81st Cong., 2d Sess. 6 (1949). See also 96 Cong.Rec. 1362 (1950) (remarks of Sen. Kefauver); Schlesinger v. Councilman, 420 U.S. 738, 757-58, 95 S.Ct. 1300, 1312-13, 43 L.Ed.2d 591 (1975).
29. The Code was enacted in the aftermath of World War II. Both during and after the War, "[l]egal writers were to condemn the military justice system, newspaper editors were to tear it apart, and various governmental committees and bar associations were to take up the fight for dramatic reform of military law." West, supra, at 73.
30. Congress amended the provision creating the court in 1967 to make it explicit that the court was an independent tribunal established under Article I of the Constitution and not an arm of the Defense Department. See infra. A year later, when another, legislative matter regarding the court was raised, the Senate Armed Services Committee reemphasized that "[t]he command structure in the military presents a possibility of undue prejudicial command influence that is not present in civilian life." S.Rep. No. 1601, 90th Cong., 2d Sess. 4 (1968).
31. One writer concluded, "Experience has shown ... that the Court of Military Appeals is a decidedly weak court in eliminating command influence in military trials. Military commanders have openly overridden the law in this regard, and there is no assurance that they will not do so in the future. The longstanding refusal of military commanders to submit to the rule of law established by Congress for the operation of military courts reflects a serious loss of control over military leaders by Congress." West, supra, at 153.
36. An appointment to a federal job takes place upon an individual's notification that he or she has been unconditionally selected for federal employment, and the completion of a certain personnel form is merely a ministerial act. National Treasury Employee's Union v. Reagan, 663 F.2d 239, 243 (D.C.Cir.1981). So, too, did plaintiff's promotion take place upon the making of an offer by one entitled to make it, the offer's acceptance, and its authorization by Congress.
The plaintiffs in NTEU were denied relief because they were not yet federal "employees" within the meaning of 5 U.S.C. § 2105(a), and therefore were not entitled to the statutory protections available to federal employees. Mundy, who was a federal employee, did not face this barrier.
37. In his constitutional claims, Mundy contends that DOD officials obstructed his promotion in retaliation for his criticism of DOD policies. Although at least one District Court has held that a cause of action implied under the Constitution is available to a federal employee who complains of administrative retaliation for the exercise of First Amendment rights, see McAnaw v. Custis, No. 81-4137 (D.Kan. Jan. 15, 1982), the question is not free from doubt. See, e.g., Avitzur v. Davidson, 549 F.Supp. 399 (N.D.N.Y.1982). Whether Bivens v. Six Unknown Named Federal Narcotics Agents, 403 U.S. 388, 91 S.Ct. 1999, 29 L.Ed.2d 619 (1971), ought to be extended to cover a federal employee suing the federal government qua employer may be decided by the Supreme Court in Bush v. Lucas, 647 F.2d 573 (5th Cir.1981), cert. granted, ___ U.S. ___, 102 S.Ct. 3481, 73 L.Ed.2d 1365 (1982). Moreover, to let Mundy proceed on a Bivens theory is arguably to place him on a different footing from other federal employees. He was not required to exhaust his administrative remedies because 10 U.S.C. § 867 afforded him a distinct and independent route into this court. If he were also afforded a Bivens remedy, he would have two routes to federal court where other federal employees might well have none. There are "special factors counselling hesitation" in the creation of a Bivens remedy. Carlson v. Green, 446 U.S. 14, 18, 100 S.Ct. 1468, 1471, 64 L.Ed.2d 15 (1980). Finally, a Bivens remedy should not be entertained when "Congress has provided an alternate remedy which it explicitly declared to be [an equally effective] substitute for recovery directly under the Constitution." Carlson, supra, 446 U.S. at 18-19, 100 S.Ct. at 1471-72. Plaintiff has a statutory cause of action that affords him damages in the form of back pay. It would therefore be overly formalistic and unreasonable to insist that a Bivens remedy also be provided because the availability of a cause of action under § 867 has not been "explicitly declared" by Congress to be a substitute for recovery under the Constitution.
Mundy's claim under 42 U.S.C. § 1985(3) may be addressed even more summarily. Assuming arguendo that the actions of the DOD officials rose to the level of a conspiracy, Mundy has failed to allege that there was "some racial, or perhaps otherwise class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus behind the conspirators' action." Griffin v. Brechenridge, 403 U.S. 88, 102, 91 S.Ct. 1790, 1798, 29 L.Ed.2d 338 (1971). The class Mundy proposes is a purported "class of individuals who are critical of DOD policies." Even if Mundy could show that such a class existed and that he was one of its members, this is not the sort of class protected by § 1985. As the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has stated, "the class status providing the motivating animus must be created by a fact other than possession of the right deprived." Lopez v. Arrowhead, 523 F.2d 924, 928 (9th Cir.1975). See also Scott v. Moore, 680 F.2d 979 (5th Cir.1982) ("Members of the plaintiff class must share some common characteristic beyond simply being victims of the defendant's conspiratorial conduct.")
40. See, e.g., 28 U.S.C. § 605; 31 U.S.C. § 11(a)(5); D.C.Code § 11-1701.