Editing Selective Service System (section)

===1980 to present===
On 2 July 1980, President [[Jimmy Carter]], signed Proclamation 4771 (Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act) in response to the [[Soviet–Afghan War|Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]] in the previous year of 1979,<ref>{{cite web |title = Background of Selective Service |url = http://www.sss.gov/backgr.htm |website = Selective Service System |publisher = United States Government |access-date = 23 August 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090507211214/http://www.sss.gov/backgr.htm |archive-date = 7 May 2009 |date = 30 April 2002 }}</ref> retroactively re-establishing the Selective Service registration requirement for all 18- to 26-year-old male citizens born on or after 1 January 1960.<ref name="Archives.gov">{{cite web |url = https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/proclamations/04771.html |title = Proclamation 4771 – Registration Under the Military Selective Service Act |publisher = Archives.gov |access-date = 8 April 2011 }}</ref> As a result, only men born between 29 March 1957, and 31 December 1959, were completely exempt from Selective Service registration.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title50a/50a_9_1_.html |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030114143335/http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title50a/50a_9_1_.html |archive-date = 14 January 2003 |title = Military Selective Service Act }}</ref>

The first registrations after Proclamation 4771 took place at various [[United States Postal Service|post offices]] across the nation on 21 July 1980, for men born in calendar year 1960. Pursuant to the presidential proclamation, all those men born in 1960 were required to register that week. Men born in 1961 were required to register the following week. Men born in 1962 were required to register during the week beginning 5 January 1981. Men born in 1963 and after were required to register within 30 days before or after their 18th birthday.<ref name="Archives.gov"/>

A bill to abolish the Selective Service System was introduced in the [[United States House of Representatives]] on 10 February 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title = H.R.4523 – To repeal the Military Selective Service Act, and thereby terminate the registration requirements of such Act and eliminate civilian local boards, civilian appeal boards, and similar local agencies of the Selective Service System. |url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4523 |website = Congress.gov |publisher = Library of Congress |access-date = 12 February 2016 }}</ref> H.R. 4523 would end draft registration and eliminate the authority of the president to order anyone to register for the draft, abolish the Selective Service System, and effectively repeal the "Solomon Amendments" making registration for the draft a condition of federal student aid, jobs, and job training. The bill would leave in place, however, laws in some states making registration for the draft a condition of some state benefits.<ref>{{cite web |title = H.R.4523 – To repeal the Military Selective Service Act |url = http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c114:H.R.4523: |website = Thomas |publisher = Library of Congress |access-date = 12 February 2016 |archive-date = 3 July 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160703201330/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c114:H.R.4523: |url-status = dead }}</ref> On 9 June 2016, a similar bill was introduced in the [[United States Senate]], called the "Muhammad Ali Voluntary Service Act".<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/3041 |title = S.3041 – Muhammad Ali Voluntary Service Act |website = US Congress |date = 9 June 2016 }}</ref>

On 27 April 2016, the House Armed Services Committee voted to add an amendment<ref>{{cite web |title = Amendment to H.R. 4909 offered by Mr. Hunter of California |url = https://hasbrouck.org/draft/amendment-women-register-27APR2016.pdf |access-date = 28 April 2016 }}</ref> to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017<ref>{{cite web |title = H.R.4909 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 |url = https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4909 |website = Congress.gov |publisher = Library of Congress |access-date = 28 April 2016 }}</ref> to extend the authority for draft registration to women. On 12 May 2016, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to add a similar provision to its version of the bill.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Lardner |first1 = Richard |title = The GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee has seconded a call by its counterpart in the House to require women to register for a military draft |url = https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2016-05-12/senate-panel-says-women-should-register-for-military-draft |access-date = 15 May 2016 |agency = Associated Press |date = 12 May 2016 }}</ref> If the bill including this provision had been enacted into law, it would have authorized (but not require) the president to order young women as well as young men to register with the Selective Service System.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Hasbrouck |first1 = Edward |title = House Committee votes to extend draft registration to women |url = https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002232.html |website = The Practical Nomad |access-date = 28 April 2016 }}</ref>

The House-Senate conference committee for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 removed the provision of the House version of the bill that would have authorized the president to order women as well as men to register with the Selective Service System, but added a new section to create a "[[National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service]]" (NCMNPS). This provision was enacted into law on 23 December 2016 as Subtitle F of Public Law 114–328.<ref>{{cite web |title = PL114-328, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 |url = https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-114publ328/pdf/PLAW-114publ328.pdf |publisher = Government Printing Office |access-date = 4 September 2018 }}</ref> The commission was to study and make recommendations by March 2020 on the draft, draft registration, registration of women, and "the feasibility and advisability of modifying the military selective service process in order to obtain for military, national, and public service individuals with skills (such as medical, dental, and nursing skills, language skills, cyber skills, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills) for which the Nation has a critical need, without regard to age or sex". During 2018 and 2019, the commission held both public and closed-door meetings with members of the public and invited experts and other witnesses.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Hasbrouck |first1 = Edward |title = National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service (NCMNPS) records released in response to FOIA request |url = https://resisters.info/commission.html |website = Resisters.info |access-date = 4 September 2018 }}</ref>

In February 2019, a challenge to the Military Selective Service Act, which provides for the male-only draft, by the [[National Coalition for Men]], was deemed unconstitutional by Judge [[Gray H. Miller]] in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas]]. [[National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System|Miller's opinion]] was based on the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]'s past argument in ''[[Rostker v. Goldberg]]'' (1981) which had found the male-only draft constitutional because the military then did not allow women to serve. As the Department of Defense has since lifted most restrictions on women in the military, Miller ruled that the justifications no longer apply, and thus the act requiring only men to register would now be considered unconstitutional under the [[Equal Protection Clause]].<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/24/us/military-draft-men-unconstitutional.html |title = Drafting Only Men for the Military Is Unconstitutional, Judge Rules |first = Tyler |last = Pager |date = 24 February 2019 |access-date = 25 February 2019 |work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> The government appealed this decision to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Hasbrouck |first1 = Edward |title = Federal court declares current military draft registration requirement unconstitutional |url = https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002337.html |access-date = 31 December 2019 }}</ref> Oral arguments on the appeal were heard on 3 March 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hasbrouck |first1=Edward |title=Appeals Court hears arguments on the Constitutionality of draft registration |url=https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002365.html |website=Resisters.info |access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref> The District Court decision was reversed by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.<ref name="hasbrouck.org">{{cite web |last1=Hasbrouck |first1=Edward |title=Court of Appeals overturns ruling that male-only draft registration requirement is unconstitutional |url=https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002378.html |website=Resisters.Info |access-date=23 January 2021}}</ref> A petition for review was declined by the U.S. Supreme Court.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Liptak|first=Adam|date=7 June 2021|title=Supreme Court Won't Hear Case on Limiting Military Draft to Men|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/07/us/supreme-court-draft.html|access-date=8 June 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In December 2019, the bipartisan "Selective Service Repeal Act", a bill to repeal the Military Selective Service Act and abolish the Selective Service System, H.R. 5492, was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives [[Peter DeFazio]] (D-OR) and [[Rodney Davis (politician)|Rodney Davis]] (R-IL).<ref>{{cite web |last1 = Hasbrouck |first1 = Edward |title = Bill introduced to end draft registration |url = https://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/002363.html |access-date = 31 December 2019 }}</ref> This bill was reintroduced in both the House (H.R. 2509) and the Senate (S. 1139) on 14 April 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=DeFazio, Wyden, Paul, Davis Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Abolish the Selective Service |date=14 April 2021 |url=https://defazio.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/defazio-wyden-paul-davis-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-abolish-the |access-date=28 August 2022 |archive-date=29 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829184337/https://defazio.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/defazio-wyden-paul-davis-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-abolish-the |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In January 2020, the Selective Service System website crashed following the [[Assassination of Qasem Soleimani|U.S. airstrike on Baghdad International Airport]]. An [[Internet meme]] about the event being the beginning of [[World War III]] began [[Reactions to the assassination of Qasem Soleimani|gaining in popularity]] very quickly, causing an influx of visitors to the Selective Service System website, which was not prepared to handle it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/03/politics/military-draft-selective-service-site-crash-trnd/index.html|title=Selective Service System website crashes amid questions and fears of another US military draft|first=Amir |last=Vera|website=CNN|date=3 January 2020 |access-date=3 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/01/the-selective-services-website-crashed-and-not-because-people-are-rushing-to-enlist/|title=The Selective Service's website crashed and not because people are rushing to enlist|last=Weinberg|first=Abigail|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US|access-date=3 March 2020}}</ref>