Source: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/402/509/case.html
Timestamp: 2017-05-23 07:04:19
Document Index: 604818588

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 4', '§ 454', '§ 4', '§ 454', '§ 405', '§ 1101', '§ 316', '§ 315', '§ 4', '§ 1426', '§ 315']

Astrup v. INS (full text) :: 402 U.S. 509 (1971) :: Justia U.S. Supreme Court Center Log In
› Astrup v. INS
Astrup v. INS 402 U.S. 509 (1971)
U.S. Supreme CourtAstrup v. INS, 402 U.S. 509 (1971)Astrup v. Immigration and Naturalization ServiceNo. 840Argued April 20, 1971Decided May 24, 1971402 U.S. 509CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
The issue in this case is exceedingly simple. By signing SSS Form 130 -- Application by Alien for Relief from Training and Service in the Armed Forces -- the petitioner, Page 402 U. S. 510 Ib Otto Astrup, a native of Denmark, agreed to give up his right to become an American citizen, and, in exchange, the United States, pursuant to § 4(a) of the Selective Service Act of 1948, 62 Stat. 605, 50 U.S.C.App. § 454(a) (1946 ed., Supp. III), agreed to give up the right to induct Astrup into the United States armed forces. Congress later repealed the law under which Astrup was exempted from military service, reneging on its part of the bargain with him. [Footnote 1] Universal Military Training and Service Act § 4(a), 65 Stat. 76, 50 U.S.C.App. § 454(a) (1952 ed.). Thereafter, the Selective Service System attempted to draft Astrup, and would have succeeded in putting him into uniform but for the fact that he was found to be physically unfit for the draft. Later, when Astrup decided that he would like to become an American citizen, the Government attempted to enforce Astrup's promise even though it was unwilling to keep its own promise. When Astrup petitioned for naturalization, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California denied his petition on the ground that he was debarred from citizenship. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed. 432 F.2d 438 (1970). We granted Astrup's petition for certiorari, 400 U.S. 1008 (1971), and now reverse. Page 402 U. S. 511
Astrup, unlike Ceballos, is not involved in a deportation proceeding under the Immigration Act of 1917, and, consequently, the saving clause of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, § 405, 66 Stat. 280, is inapplicable. [Footnote 2] Page 402 U. S. 512 See note following 8 U.S.C. § 1101. Moreover, Astrup petitioned for naturalization under § 316 of the 1952 Act. Therefore, § 315 of the 1952 Act, not § 4(a) of the Selective Service Act of 1948, determines the effect to be given to Astrup's 1950 application for exemption from military service. Section 315 provides:
66 Stat. 242, 8 U.S.C. § 1426. (Emphasis added.) This is a two-pronged prerequisite for the loss of eligibility for United States citizenship. The alien must be one who "applies or has applied for exemption or discharge" from military service and "is or was relieved or Page 402 U. S. 513 discharged" from that service. There is no question that Astrup applied for an exemption. The United States argues that he was temporarily released from military service but recognizes that the release was not permanent. And even the Government is forced to concede that temporary release from military service is not by itself sufficient to debar an alien from a later claim to naturalized citizenship, because the Government recognizes the correctness of the Second Circuit's decision in United States v. Hoellger, 273 F.2d 760 (1960), that, if an alien is once relieved from service but is later compelled to perform military service the bar to citizenship does not arise.
Other courts have distinguished the Hoellger holding from the situation where an alien is once relieved from military service but later reclassified for service which he never performs because of intervening circumstances such as physical unfitness. See Lapenieks v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 389 F.2d 343 (1968); United States v. Hoellger, supra, at 762 n. 2. However, there is nothing in the language of § 315 which leads us to believe that Congress intended such harsh and bizarre consequences to flow from an individual's failure to pass a physical examination. [Footnote 3] We think that Congress used the words "is or was relieved" to provide that an alien who requests exemption from the military service be Page 402 U. S. 514 held to his agreement to relinquish all claims to naturalized citizenship only when the Government abides by its part of the agreement and completely exempts him from service in our armed forces. [Footnote 4]