The Selective Service Act of 1948, also known as the Elston Act, was a United States federal law enacted June 24, 1948, that established the current implementation of the

Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. Citizenship of the United States, citizens and o ...

History

The previous iteration of the Selective Service System was established by the

Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, also known as the Burke–Wadsworth Act, , was the first peacetime conscription in United States history. This Selective Service Act required that men who had reached their 21st birthday ...

. 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. Provisions of the law relating to the authority to induct men into the military expired on July 1, 1973. Amendments, extensions, and changes of name to the act since 1948 include: * 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'' 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 one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

, and the

Supreme Court of the United States 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 Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

declined to hear the case. In 2024, a bipartisan group of senators, including

Rand Paul Randal Howard Paul (born January 7, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Kentucky since 2011. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

Ron Wyden Ronald Lee Wyden ( ; born May 3, 1949) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Oregon, a seat he has held since 1996 United States Senate special el ...

, and Cynthia Lummis, introduced legislation to end the military draft, calling it outdated and unnecessary. The bill aimed to repeal the Military Selective Service Act, which hasn't been used since the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. The move followed debates on including women in the draft, a proposal repeatedly removed from the National Defense Authorization Act despite rising program costs.

References

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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 American law 1948 in military history 1948 in the United States 80th United States Congress Conscription law

History

See also

References

External links