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.

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. 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 Pub. L., 64Stat., enactedJune 23, 1950
  • Extended until July 9, 1951, by Pub. L., 64Stat., enactedJune 30, 1950
  • Change of name to the Universal Military Training and Service Act and extended until July 1, 1953, by Pub. L., 65Stat., enactedJune 19, 1951
  • Amended by Pub. L., 66Stat., enactedJuly 7, 1952
  • Extended until July 1, 1955, by Pub. L., 67Stat., enactedJune 29, 1953
  • Extended until July 1, 1959, by Pub. L., 69Stat., enactedJune 30, 1955
  • Amended by Pub. L., 69Stat., enactedJuly 12, 1955
  • Amended by Pub. L., 70Stat., enactedJuly 9, 1956
  • Amended by Pub. L., 71Stat., enactedJune 26, 1957
  • Amended by Pub. L., 72Stat., enactedJuly 28, 1958
  • Extended until July 1, 1963, by Pub. L., 73Stat., enactedMarch 23, 1959
  • Amended by Pub. L., 74Stat., enactedJuly 12, 1960
  • Amended by Pub. L., 75Stat., enactedOctober 4, 1961
  • Amended by Pub. L., 76Stat., enactedJuly 18, 1962
  • Extended until July 1, 1967, by Pub. L., 77Stat., enactedMarch 28, 1963
  • Amended by Pub. L., 77Stat., enactedSeptember 3, 1963
  • Amended by Pub. L., 78Stat., enactedJuly 7, 1964
  • Amended by Pub. L., 79Stat., enactedAugust 30, 1965
  • Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act of 1967 and extension until July 1, 1971, by Pub. L., 81Stat., enactedJune 30, 1967
  • Amended by Pub. L., 82Stat., enactedAugust 17, 1968
  • Amended by Pub. L., 83Stat., enactedNovember 26, 1969
  • Change of name to the Military Selective Service Act and extension until July 1, 1973, by Pub. L., 85Stat., enactedSeptember 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. This ruling was later reversed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to hear the case.

In 2024, a bipartisan group of senators, including Rand Paul, Ron Wyden, 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 move followed debates on including women in the draft, a proposal repeatedly removed from the National Defense Authorization Act despite rising program costs.

See also

External links

  • (/) as amended in the GPO