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
The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft) and carries out cont ...
.
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
* Extended until July 9, 1951 by
* Change of name to the Universal Military Training and Service Act and extended until July 1, 1953 by
* Amended by
* Extended until July 1, 1955 by
* Extended until July 1, 1959 by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Extended until July 1, 1963 by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Extended until July 1, 1967 by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act of 1967 and extension until July 1, 1971 by
* Amended by
* Amended by
* Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act and extension until July 1, 1973 by
In 2019,
U.S. District Court in Southern Texas Judge
Gray Miller ruled in ''
National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System
''National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System'' was a court case that was first decided in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on February 22, 2019, declaring that requiring men but disallowing women t ...
'' that exempting women from the male-only draft was unconstitutional. This ruling was later reversed by the
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* Eastern District of Louisiana
* ...
, and the case was declined by the
US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...
.
See also
*
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System (SSS) is an independent agency of the United States government that maintains information on U.S. citizens and other U.S. residents potentially subject to military conscription (i.e., the draft) and carries out cont ...
*
Conscription in the United States
In the United States, military conscription, commonly known as the draft, has been employed by the U.S. federal government in six conflicts: the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, an ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Military Selective Service ActPDFdetails
as amended in the GPObr>Statute Compilations collection
Conscription in the United States
United States federal defense and national security legislation
1948 in law
1948 in military history
1948 in the United States
80th United States Congress
Conscription law