Opinion ID: 186251
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Chaplains’ Pendent Claims

Text: In their brief, the Chaplains present two additional issues, arguing that the district court erred in rejecting their claims that (1) Navy chaplains should be considered clergy, not naval officers, for the purpose of evaluating their constitutional claims, and (2) allowing Navy chaplains to sit on promotion boards violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. See Appellees’ Br. at 46, 52–55. Recognizing that these issues are not presently appealable by themselves, the Chaplains nonetheless urge this court to exercise pendent appellate jurisdiction to review them now. ‘‘This court does not exercise pendent appellate jurisdiction frequently or liberally.’’ National R.R. Passenger Corp. v. Expresstrak, 330 F.3d 523, 527 (D.C. Cir. 2003). Such jurisdiction may be appropriate only when (1) a ‘‘nonappealable order is ‘inextricably intertwined’ with the appealable order,’’ 22 or (2) review of the nonappealable order is ‘‘ ‘necessary to ensure meaningful review’ ’’ of the appealable order. Gilda Marx, Inc. v. Wildwood Exercise, Inc., 85 F.3d 675, 679 (D.C. Cir. 1996) (quoting Swint v. Chambers County Comm’n, 514 U.S. at 51). No such considerations are present in this case. The Chaplains’ constitutional claims — not even presented on a cross-appeal — are not intertwined with, nor necessary to ensure meaningful review of, the statutory privilege issue that is within our jurisdiction. We accordingly decline to consider them.