Court Opinion

ID: 9462410
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 22:40:34.277578+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:37:34.867613
License: Public Domain

FAIRCHILD, Chief Judge
(dissenting).
The Presidential Pardon received by Mr. Bjerkan does not remove all of the “collateral consequences” of his conviction. Therefore, I am unable to agree with the majority that this case is now moot. In Carlesi v. New York, 233 U.S. 51, 34 S.Ct. 576, 58 L.Ed. 843 (1914) the Court held that a state could take “into consideration a prior offense committed against the United States after pardon” as long as the state’s action did not constitute a punishment. Carlesi, supra, at 57, 34 S.Ct. 577. The assignment by the state of “second offender status” to the appellant did not impair the effect of his pardon for the first offense. In addition to the “status” consequences which a state may still impose on Mr. Bjerkan, he may be subject to other disqualifications which do not constitute punishments. In United States v. Nasser, 476 F.2d 1111, 1117 (1973), this court held that “ . . . where there is a sufficiently rational relationship between the past activity and the public interest in excluding unworthy people, the disqualification is not a punishment . . ..” Therefore, Mr. Bjerkan’s pardon may not immunize him from disqualifications by state licensing agencies. The new Federal Rules of Evidence, Fed. Rules Evid. Rule 606, 28 U.S.C., for example, may not preclude the impeachment of testimony which he may give in subsequent unrelated trials. The totality of these collateral consequences is substantial enough to make this appeal ripe for a decision.
In reaching the merits of Mr. Bjer-kan’s appeal, however, I would vote to affirm the decision of the district court. The major issue which Mr. Bjerkan raised in this appeal was the failure of the local board and the National Selective Service Board to state the reasons why Mr. Bjerkan was denied conscien*130tious objector status. This omission was remedied, however, by the State Appeal Board’s explanation for denying this appeal. Neither United States v. Wainscott, 496 F.2d 356 (4 Cir. 1974) or United States v. Lemmens, 430 F.2d 619 (7 Cir. 1970) require a different analysis. The reasons for the denial of Mr. Bjerkan’s appeal articulated by the State Appeal Board were adequate for the purpose of both judicial and administrative review.