Ehlert v. United States

Summary

The Supreme Court affirmed the Ninth Circuit, holding that the Selective Service regulation bars a local board from reopening a registrant’s classification when a conscientious‑objector claim crystallizes after the mailing of an induction notice but before induction, because such crystallization does not constitute a change in status beyond the registrant’s control. The Court reasoned that the regulation permits reasonable timeliness rules and that Congress limited the unconditional statutory right to exemption from combatant training, not to a pre‑induction claim filing right. Two dissenting opinions argued that late‑crystallizing objections should be considered by civilian boards and that the regulation’s language should be read more broadly.