Editing Selective Service System (section)

==Who must register==
[[File:Selective service information.jpg|thumb|right|Selective service information available in a local post office in [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]]]]
Under current [when?] law, all male U.S. citizens between 18 and 25 (inclusive) years of age are required to register within 30 days of their 18th birthdays. In addition, certain categories of non-U.S. citizen men between 18 and 25 living in the United States must register, particularly [[Green card|permanent residents]], [[refugee]]s, [[asylum seeker]]s, and [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigrants]].<ref name="must"/> Foreign men lawfully present in the United States who are non-immigrants, such as [[international student]]s, [[B visa|visitors]], and diplomats, are not required to register, so long as they remain in that status.<ref name="must"/> If an alien's non-immigrant status lapses while he is in the United States and under the age of 26, he will be required to register.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.academia.edu/19773109 |title = Male Immigrants and Selective Service |last = Segal |first = Alexander }}</ref> Failure to register as required is grounds for denying a petition for U.S. citizenship. Currently, citizens who are at least 17 years and 3 months old can pre-register so when they are eligible for registration, their information will automatically be added into the system.

In the current [when?] registration system, a person cannot indicate that they are a conscientious objector (CO) to war when registering, but they can make such a claim when being drafted. Some people choose to write on the registration card "I am a conscientious objector to war" to document their conviction, even though the government will not have such a classification until there is a draft.<ref>Brethren Witness, Peace and Justice, {{cite web |url = http://www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/ConscientiousObjection/COinfo.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040815023253/http://www.brethren.org/genbd/witness/ConscientiousObjection/COinfo.htm |archive-date = 15 August 2004 |title = Conscientious Objection |publisher = brethren.org }}</ref> A number of private organizations have programs for conscientious objectors to file a written record stating their beliefs.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.centeronconscience.org/home.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090610131539/http://www.centeronconscience.org/home.shtml |archive-date=10 June 2009 | title=(Home) | publisher=Center on Conscience & War | access-date=18 November 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.jewishpeacefellowship.org/index.php?p=the_draft |title = Jewish Peace Fellowship |publisher = Jewish Peace Fellowship |access-date = 8 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ohioyearlymeeting.org/conscientious_objectors.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111205000453/http://www.ohioyearlymeeting.org/conscientious_objectors.htm |archive-date = 5 December 2011 |title = Oym Generic Page |publisher = Ohioyearlymeeting.org |access-date = 8 April 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.objector.org/coclaim.html |title = objector.org }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.peaceabbey.org/confcenter/coregistry.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919181648/http://www.peaceabbey.org/confcenter/coregistry.htm|url-status=dead|title=The Registry for Conscientious Objection|archivedate=19 September 2008}}</ref>

In 1987, Congress ordered the Selective Service System to put in place a system capable of drafting "persons qualified for practice or employment in a [[Health care provider|health care occupation]]" in case such a special-skills draft should be ordered by Congress. In response, the Selective Service published plans for the "Health Care Personnel Delivery System" (HCPDS) in 1989, and has had them ready ever since. The concept underwent a preliminary field exercise in fiscal year 1998, followed by a more extensive nationwide readiness exercise in fiscal year 1999.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.medicaldraft.info |title = MedicalDraft.info }}</ref> The HCPDS plans include women and men age 20–54 in 57 job categories.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.resisters.info/HCPDS-15AUG1989.pdf |title = Health Care Personnel Delivery System regulations }}</ref>

Until their 26th birthdays, registered men must notify Selective Service within 10 days of any changes to information regarding their status, such as name, current [[Address|mailing address]], permanent residence address, and "all information concerning his status... which the classifying authority mails him a request therefor".<ref name="ack"/><ref>{{USCFR|32|1621|1}}</ref>

===Gender===
Selective Service bases the registration requirement on [[sex assigned at birth]], and forces binary interpretation of this, including upon [[intersex]] individuals.  This is in line with a [[Executive Order 14168|presidential executive order]] denying any legal recognition of [[transgender]] individuals' [[gender identity|gender identities]], [[Gender transition|social transition]] status, and [[transgender health care|medical transition]] status, as well the legal existence of [[intersex]] individuals, which was issued by the second Trump Administration on 20 January 2025.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/defending-women-from-gender-ideology-extremism-and-restoring-biological-truth-to-the-federal-government/|title=Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government - Executive Order - January 20, 2025|date=21 January 2025 |access-date=1 February 2025|publisher=whitehouse.gov}}</ref>

Prior to the second Trump Administration taking office and purging all references to transgender and gender non-conforming people on government websites, according to the SSS, individuals who were born male were required to register regardless of their current gender identity or gender reassignment. This included [[Trans woman|transgender women]]. People who were assigned female at birth who have transitioned, or are in the process of transitioning ([[Trans man|transgender men]]), were not required to register. Individuals who identified as [[Non-binary gender|non-binary]] were required to register if they were born male.<ref>{{cite web |title=Who Needs to Register |url=https://www.sss.gov/faq/#who-needs-to-register |access-date=27 January 2022 |publisher=sss.gov}}</ref> U.S. citizens register for the SSS using their [[Social Security number|Social Security Number]] and the sex designation associated with that number. It was possible to change the sex associated with a Social Security Number (SSN), and the [[Social Security Administration]] (SSA) did not require medical or legal evidence of a sex designation to do so. However, despite some states now allowing an "X" designation on official identification, like birth certificates, the current SSN system is only designed for male or female designations. The SSA was previously looking into more diverse designation options for the future, but this was put on hold by the second Trump Administration, given a memo sent out to bar changes to gender markers on SSA records on 31 January 2025 and enforce a binary interpretation of sex, as noted in the aforementioned [[Executive Order 14168|presidential executive order]].<ref>[https://www.ssa.gov/people/lgbtq/gender-identity.html#:~:text=To%20change%20the%20sex%20identification,sometimes%20citizenship%20or%20immigration%20status. Gender Identity | SSA]</ref>

In February 2019, the male-only military draft registry was ruled to be unconstitutional by a federal district judge in ''[[National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://thehill.com/policy/defense/431334-judge-rules-all-male-military-draft-unconstitutional/|title=Judge rules all-male military draft unconstitutional|first=Michael|last=Burke|date=24 February 2019}}</ref> Following the ruling, Selective Service System attorney Jacob Daniels told reporters: "Things continue here at Selective Service as they have in the past, which is men between the ages of 18 and 25 are required to register with Selective Service. And at this time, until we receive guidance from either the court or from Congress, women are not required to register for Selective Service."<ref>[https://www.npr.org/2019/03/01/699514360/despite-ruling-only-men-are-being-required-to-register-for-military-drafts Despite Ruling, Only Men Are Being Required To Register For Military Drafts : NPR<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On 13 August 2020, the federal district judge's opinion was unanimously overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. The Court held that male-only military draft registration is constitutional on the basis that "only the Supreme Court may revise its precedent."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/federal-appeals-court-male-draft-constitutional-72350218|title = Federal appeals court: Male-only draft is constitutional|website = [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref>

A congressionally mandated commission recommended in March 2020 that women should be eligible for the draft.<ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/24/women-draft-eligibility-146254 Women should be eligible for the draft, commission recommends] By LARA SELIGMAN, Politico, 24 March 2020</ref> In September 2021, the House of Representatives passed the [[National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022]], which included an amendment that stated that "all Americans between the ages of 18 and 25 must register for selective service." This struck off the word "Male" which extended a potential draft to women; however, the amendment was removed before the National Defense Authorization Act was passed.<ref>{{Cite news|title=House passes defense bill with commission to investigate Afghanistan failures, mandate that women register for draft|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/house-defense-authorization-bill/2021/09/23/ef9c05d2-1bc9-11ec-a99a-5fea2b2da34b_story.html|access-date=28 October 2021|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Turner|first=Trish|date=24 July 2021|title=New legislation would require women, like men, to sign up for potential military draft|url=https://abc7chicago.com/10907316/|access-date=28 October 2021|website=ABC7 Chicago|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Behrmann|first=Savannah|date=8 December 2021|title=Lawmakers kill measure that would have required women to register for the Selective Service|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/12/08/lawmakers-kill-provision-requiring-women-register-draft/6433960001/|access-date=22 January 2022|website=USA Today|language=en}}</ref>