Court Opinion

ID: 9487569
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:20:35.734499+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:21.616667
License: Public Domain

BUCKLEY, Circuit Judge,
with whom Circuit Judge RANDOLPH joins, concurring in part:
I agree with the court’s analysis in every respect but one. I cannot concur in its holding, in part III.B., that Steffan lacked standing “to bring his particular challenge to the DOD Directives.”
In his complaint, Steffan acknowledges what he describes as his “homosexual orientation,” notes that there was “no allegation [in the proceedings before the Brigade Performance Board] that [he] had committed any homosexual acts or conduct,” and alleges that his forced separation from the Naval Academy was “predicated solely on [his] sexual orientation” and on laws and regulations that he considers unconstitutional because, among other things, they “punish[ ] his thoughts, speech and status, as opposed to his conduct.” Complaint, ¶¶ 17, 22, 30, & 34. Fairly construed, these allegations amount to a claim that Steffan suffered an injury directly caused by allegedly unconstitutional regulations.
It seems to me that this is sufficient to open the door to the courthouse. Once inside, of course, it was incumbent on Steffan to offer evidence to support his contention that he was required to resign based on his thoughts (or “desires”) rather than on the inferences as to his conduct and intentions that the Board was entitled to draw from the statement, “I am a homosexual.” To say that he failed to prove his contention is surely not to say that he lacked standing to make the attempt.