Military Selective Service Act
The Selective Service Act of 1948, also known as the Elston Act, was a major revision of the Articles of War of the United States enacted June 24, 1948 that established the current implementation of the Selective Service System.
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| Other short titles |
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|---|---|
| Long title | An Act to provide for the common defense by increasing the strength of the armed forces of the United States, including the reserve components thereof, and for other purposes. |
| Enacted by | the 80th United States Congress |
| Effective | June 24, 1948 |
| Citations | |
| Public law | 80-759 |
| Statutes at Large | 62 Stat. 604, Chapter 625 |
| Codification | |
| Titles amended | 50 U.S.C.: War and National Defense |
| U.S.C. sections created | 50 U.S.C. Appendix §§ 451-473 |
| Legislative history | |
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History
The previous iteration of the Selective Service System was established by the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. After two extensions, the Selective Training and Service Act was allowed to expire on March 31, 1947. In 1948, it was replaced by a new and distinct Selective Service System established by this Act. The Selective Service Act of 1948 was originally intended to remain in effect for two years (i.e., until June 24, 1950), but was extended multiple times, usually immediately before its two-year period of effectiveness was due to expire.
The act has had amendments, extensions, and changes of name since 1948, including:
- Extended until July 9, 1950 by Pub.L. 81–572, 64 Stat. 254, enacted June 23, 1950
- Extended until July 9, 1951 by Pub.L. 81–599, 64 Stat. 318, enacted June 30, 1950
- Change of name to the Universal Military Training and Service Act and extended until July 1, 1953 by Pub.L. 82–51, 65 Stat. 75, enacted June 19, 1951
- Amended by Pub.L. 82–461, 66 Stat. 440, enacted July 7, 1952
- Extended until July 1, 1955 by Pub.L. 83–84, 67 Stat. 86, enacted June 29, 1953
- Extended until July 1, 1959 by Pub.L. 84–118, 69 Stat. 223, enacted June 30, 1955
- Amended by Pub.L. 84–146, 69 Stat. 295, enacted July 12, 1955
- Amended by Pub.L. 84–665, 70 Stat. 509, enacted July 9, 1956
- Amended by Pub.L. 85–62, 71 Stat. 206, enacted June 26, 1957
- Amended by Pub.L. 85–564, 72 Stat. 424, enacted July 28, 1958
- Extended until July 1, 1963 by Pub.L. 86–4, 73 Stat. 13, enacted March 23, 1959
- Amended by Pub.L. 86–632, 74 Stat. 467, enacted July 12, 1960
- Amended by Pub.L. 87–391, 75 Stat. 821, enacted October 4, 1961
- Amended by Pub.L. 87–536, 76 Stat. 167, enacted July 18, 1962
- Extended until July 1, 1967 by Pub.L. 88–2, 77 Stat. 4, enacted March 28, 1963
- Amended by Pub.L. 88–110, 77 Stat. 134, enacted September 3, 1963
- Amended by Pub.L. 88–360, 78 Stat. 296, enacted July 7, 1964
- Amended by Pub.L. 89–152, 79 Stat. 586, enacted August 30, 1965
- Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act of 1967 and extension until July 1, 1971 by Pub.L. 90–40, 81 Stat. 100, enacted June 30, 1967
- Amended by Pub.L. 90–491, 82 Stat. 790, enacted August 17, 1968
- Amended by Pub.L. 91–124, 83 Stat. 220, enacted November 26, 1969
- Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act and extension until July 1, 1973 by Pub.L. 92–129, 85 Stat. 348, enacted September 28, 1971
In 2019, U.S. District Court in Southern Texas Judge Gray Miller ruled in National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System that exempting women from the male-only draft was unconstitutional.[1] This ruling was later reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit,[2][3] and the case was added to the docket of the US Supreme Court on January 12, 2021.[4]
References
- Somin|Feb. 24, Ilya; Pm, 2019 4:15 (2019-02-24). "Federal Court Rules Male-Only Draft Registration Is Unconstitutional - Volokh Conspiracy". Reason.com. Retrieved 2019-03-20.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- National Coalition for Men vs. Selective Service System, No. 19-20272 (5th Cir. 2020-08-13).
- McGill, Kevin (2019-08-13). "Federal appeals court: Male-only draft is constitutional". Associated Press.
- "National Coalition For Men, et al., Petitioners v. Selective Service System, et al". Supreme Court of the United States. 2021-01-12. Retrieved 2021-02-06.