Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. James Alan FERBER, Defendant-Appellant
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1971-11-29
Citations: 451 F.2d 591
Docket Number: No. 71-2349
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. James Alan FERBER, Defendant-Appellant.
Judges: 
Reporter: Federal Reporter 2d Series
Volume: 451
Pages: 591–592

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. James Alan FERBER, Defendant-Appellant.
No. 71-2349.
United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
Nov. 29, 1971.
James Alan Ferber (argued), John K. Van De Kam, Federal Public Defender, Los Angeles, Cal., for defendant-appellant.
Joseph H. Golant, Asst. U. S. Atty. (argued), Rom G. Kontos, Asst. U. S. Atty., Robert L. Meyer, U. S. Atty., Eric A. Nobles, Chief, Crim. Div., Los An-geles, Cal., for plaintiff-appellee.
Before BROWNING and CHOY, Circuit Judges, and CRAIG, District Judge.
Honorable Walter E. Craig, United States District Judge, for the District of Arizona, sitting by designation.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM:
Appellant was convicted of refusing induction, 50 U.S.C. App. § 462. Appellant's main contention is that his local board erred in refusing to reopen his I-A classification to consider his conscientious objector claim filed after he received an order to report for induction.
Appellant argues that his claim rested on non-religious grounds, and that, therefore, the Supreme Court's decision in Welsh v. United States, 398 U.S. 333, 90 S.Ct. 1792, 26 L.Ed.2d 308 (1970), permitting non-religious conscientious objector claims, was a material "change in status over which he had no control within the meaning of Regulation 32 C.F.R. § 1625.2."
Welsh was decided before appellant's induction notice was sent, however, and, under section 1625.2, a change of status must occur after the notice to warrant reopening a registrant's classification. United States v. Van Becker, 438 F.2d 1224, 1225 (9th Cir. 1971); United States v. Uhl, 436 F.2d 773, 774 (9th Cir. 1970). Moreover, appellant's letter accompanying his conscientious objector questionnaire reflects a prima facie conscientious objector claim under traditional, religiously based, pre-Welsh standards. Welsh therefore worked no change in appellant's status.
We have carefully considered the remaining points raised by appellant and find them without merit.
Affirmed.