Court Opinion

ID: 9454808
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 18:59:51.263225+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:34:19.249935
License: Public Domain

McLAUGHLIN, Circuit Judge
(dissenting) .
The majority opinion concludes that the lower court’s charge to the jury was vitally defective. Basically, the holding is that it was plain error for the lower court to cite in its charge the Selective Service mail regulation1 “in a way that clearly made it seem to be an irrebuttable presumption.” The entire foundation of the opinion is the proposition that because of this “irrebuttable presumption” the jury was precluded from considering Bowen’s claimed defense that he did not receive SSS Form 150 (conscientious objector).2 On that issue the majority states that:
“ * * * ^ js unclear whether the jury was instructed that the critical issue of receipt of the conscientious objector forms was governed by a rebut-' table presumption, (footnote omitted) viz. that mail sent is presumed to be received unless the jury believes the evidence to the contrary, or that under the applicable Selective Service regulation an ‘irrebuttable presumption’ controlled.”
The judge charged as follows:
“Basically, he seeks to justify his conduct on the basis of his religious scruples and the fact that he was his mother’s sole support. He admitted receiving the classification questionnaire; also the notice to appear and report for induction. He also admits receiving a notice to attend a meeting of his local draft board, but that he did not attend said meeting.
“The defendant denies, however, that he received the conscientious objector forms, No. 150.
“Admittedly all matters sent to the defendant were sent by ordinary mail. None of it was returned, as I recall, as undelivered by the postal authorities. There is no requirement in the law, ladies and gentlemen, that notices must be sent by certified mail, or registered mail, or in any special manner. It is perfectly proper to use ordinary mail. And the presumption is that mail so sent is received. Indeed, under a Selective Service Regulation the mailing of any order, notice or blank form, *1279to a registrant at the address last reported by him to his local board, shall constitute notice to him of the contents of the communicator whether he actually receives it or not.
“Of course, it is for you to determine and evaluate the facts of this case.” (Appendix for Appellant pp. 113, 114) (Emphasis supplied).
The court opinion centers on the reference to the regulation (32 C.F.R. § 1641.3) that the mailing of any order, notice or blank form to a registrant at his last reported address constitutes notice to him of the contents of the communication whether he actually receives it or not. Said opinion calls this an irrebuttable or conclusive presumption of receipt of the forms by Bowen. The majority confronted by a line of cases involving convictions based on notices the defendants denied receiving, finds that in those decisions a rebuttable presumption was relied on, however, in this single instance for some unexplained reáson the majority makes a flat pronouncement that an irrebuttable presumption of receipt was created. See United States v. DeNarvaez, 407 F.2d 185 (2 Cir. 1969), petition for cert. filed, 37 U.S.L.W. 3452 (May 21, 1969), (No. 1417); United States v. Davis, 279 F.Supp. 920 (D.Conn.1967), aff’d per curiam, 390 F.2d 879 (2 Cir.), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 869, 89 S.Ct. 155, 21 L.Ed.2d 137 (1968); Whitney v. United States, 328 F.2d 888 (5 Cir. 1964). Nowhere in the regulation is there such an assertion. Nowhere is there any hint that receipt of the communication could not be disputed. It is for this reason in the trial judge’s sole allusion to the regulation, he stated that under it “the mailing * * * to a registrant shall constitute notice to him of the contents of the communication, whether he actually receives it or not.” The judge immediately thereafter specifically instructed the jury as follows: “Of course, it is for you to determine and evaluate the facts of this case.” (Emphasis supplied). The most important fact question for the jury was to decide whether Bowen did receive the communication. A common sense reading of the charge, as opposed to the strained interpretation of an isolated part of it, indicates unmistakably that the jury was not misled. Even if the regulation standing alone could have been possibly misinterpreted, the overriding simple mandate of the court to the jury was to find out what the fact was as to receipt by Bowen of the form. The court fairly outlined the evidence on the issue of receipt and correctly framed that issue for the jury. The latter was in no way “prohibited from considering Bowen’s claimed defense that he did not receive the forms * *
The regulation has been in effect since 1948. During all that time until now, there has never been any pretension that it was unconstitutional; never any theorizing that it set up a mandate that mailing of any order produced a plenary assumption of receipt to which there was no defense. That contention appears for the first time, over twenty years later, in the amazing, offhand majority pronouncement which so claims. Impartial analysis of the operative effect of the regulation affirmatively shows that it comprehends no attempt whatsoever to create a conclusive presumption of receipt from the mailing of the communication. As I see it that ruling is completely unwarranted.
The directive of the regulation is that mailing of the communication constitutes notice of its contents whether actually received or not. The regulation does not say or imply that the mailing is absolute evidence of receipt of the particular communication by the registrant. And the precise issue before us is receipt of the form by Bowen and not the latter’s presumed knowledge of the contents of the communication. (See Footnote 2). While there is a wealth of miscellaneous citations in the majority opinion there is not one cited as deciding that the regulation in question makes the mailing of the communication unimpeachable regarding its receipt. Nor is there any Selective Service administrative history there mentioned or found by me which suggests support for that majority view. *1280The sentence imposed upon the registrant was five years confinement. Under the liberal Federal parole provisions there undoubtedly would be much less time actually served. Having in mind the obvious factual situation revealed by this appeal, the sentence was reasonable. It offers no excuse for unwarranted indirect interference by this court.
From the substantial evidence in this appeal, the jury was fully justified in deciding that Bowen received SSS Form 150. See United States v. McQueary, 408 F.2d 493 (9 Cir. 1969).
I would affirm the conviction.

. 32 C.F.R. § 1641.3 reads as follows:
“Communication by Mail. It shall be the duty of each registrant' to keep his local board advised at all times of the address where mail will reach him. The mailing of any order, notice, or blank form by the local board to a registrant at the address last reported by him to the local board shall constitute notice to him of the contents of the commuuni-cation, whether he actually receives it or not.”

. The charge to the jury on the issue of receipt is made a primary importance since the majority contends that the local board had a mandatory duty to supply the form to Bowen (32 C.F.R. § 1621.11) and, therefore, if Bowen could prove he did not receive the form, then the board did not fulfill this rno.ndatory duty “thus nullifying the validity of the induction notice Bowen is charged to have ignored.”