Find Court Cases > Selective Service System v. Minn. Pub. Int.

Selective Service System v. Minn. Pub. Int.

Case Date: 04/23/1984
Docket No: none

Facts of the Case 

Part of the Department of Defense Authorization Act of 1983 denied federal financial aid to males between the ages of 18 and 26 who had failed to register for selective service. Applicants for financial aid were required to inform their universities that they had (or had not) registered for the draft.

Question 

Did compelling individuals to state whether or not they had registered violate the Fifth Amendment?

Argument Selective Service System v. Minn. Pub. Int. - Oral ArgumentFull Transcript Text  Download MP3 Conclusion  Decision: 6 votes for Selective Service System, 2 vote(s) against Legal provision: Self-Incrimination

The Court upheld the law. Since no student is compelled to seek financial aid, requiring an applicant to state whether or not he had registered for the draft would not be equivalent to forcing an individual to incriminate himself.