These cases, which are here on certiorari, present for decision the same question. In each, the plaintiff is the beneficiary under a policy for yearly renewable term insurance
In each case, the United States demurred to the petition on the ground that the court was without jurisdiction to entertain the suit, because the consent of the United States to be sued had been withdrawn by the Act of March 20, 1933, c. 3, 48 Stat. 9, commonly called the Economy Act.
The plaintiffs duly claimed that the Act deprived them of property without due process of law in violation of the Fifth Amendment. The district courts overruled the objection; sustained the demurrers and dismissed the complaints. Their judgments were affirmed by the circuit courts of appeals. 67 F.2d 490; 68 id. 442. The only question requiring serious consideration relates to the construction and effect to be given to the clause of § 17 of the Economy Act upon which the Government relies; for the character and incidents of War Risk Insurance and the applicable rules of constitutional law have been settled by decisions of this Court. The clause in question is:
". . . all laws granting or pertaining to yearly renewable term insurance are hereby repealed. . . ."
War Risk Insurance, while resembling in benevolent purpose pensions, compensation allowances, hospital and other privileges accorded to former members of the army and navy or their dependents, differs from them fundamentally
In order to promote efficiency in administration and justice in the distribution of War Risk Insurance benefits, the Administration was given power to prescribe the form of policies and to make regulations. The form prescribed provided that the policy should be subject to all amendments to the original Act, to all regulations then in force or thereafter adopted. Within certain limits of application this form was deemed authorized by the Act, White v. United States, 270 U.S. 175, 180, and, as held in that case, one whose vested rights were not thereby disturbed could not complain of subsequent legislation affecting the terms of the policy. Such legislation has been frequent.
Second. The Fifth Amendment commands that property be not taken without making just compensation. Valid contracts are property, whether the obligor be a private individual, a municipality, a State or the United States. Rights against the United States arising out of a contract with it are protected by the Fifth Amendment. United States v. Central Pacific R. Co., 118 U.S. 235, 238; United States v. Northern Pacific Ry. Co., 256 U.S. 51, 64, 67. When the United States enters into contract relations, its rights and duties therein are governed generally by the law applicable to contracts between private individuals.
The Solicitor General does not suggest, either in brief or argument, that there were supervening conditions
Third. Contracts between individuals or corporations are impaired within the meaning of the Constitution whenever the right to enforce them by legal process is taken away or materially lessened.
In establishing the system of War Risk Insurance, Congress vested in its administrative agency broad power in making determinations of essential facts — power similar to that exercised in respect to pensions, compensation, allowances and other gratuitous privileges provided for veterans and their dependents. But while the statutes granting gratuities contain no specific provision for suits against the United States,
"That in the event of disagreement as to a claim under the contract of insurance between the bureau and any beneficiary or beneficiaries thereunder, an action on the claim may be brought against the United States in the district court of the United States in and for the district in which such beneficiaries or any one of them resides."
Although consent to sue was thus given when the policy issued, Congress retained power to withdraw the consent at any time. For consent to sue the United States is a privilege accorded; not the grant of a property right protected by the Fifth Amendment. The consent may be withdrawn, although given after much deliberation and for a pecuniary consideration. DeGroot v. United States,
Mere withdrawal of consent to sue on policies for yearly renewable term insurance would not imply repudiation. When the United States creates rights in individuals against itself, it is under no obligation to provide a remedy through the courts. United States v. Babcock, 250 U.S. 328, 331. It may limit the individual to administrative remedies. Tutun v. United States, 270 U.S. 568, 576. And withdrawal of all remedy, administrative as well as legal, would not necessarily imply repudiation. So long as the contractual obligation is recognized, Congress may direct its fulfilment without the interposition of either a court or an administrative tribunal.
That Congress sought to take away the right of beneficiaries of yearly renewable term policies and not to withdraw their privilege to sue the United States, appears, also, from an examination of the other provisions of § 17. The section reads:
"All public laws granting medical or hospital treatment, domiciliary care, compensation and other allowances, pensions,
That Congress intended to take away the right under outstanding yearly renewable term policies, and was not concerned with the consent to sue the United States thereon, appears also from the saving clauses in § 17. These provide that "all allowed claims under the above referred to laws" are to be reviewed and the benefits are to be paid "where a person is found entitled under this Act"; and that "nothing contained in this section shall interfere with payments to be made under contracts of yearly renewable term insurance under which payments have commenced, or on any judgment heretofore rendered in a court of competent jurisdiction in any suit on a contract of yearly renewable term insurance, or which may hereafter be rendered in any such suit now pending."
Fifth. There is a suggestion that although, in repealing all laws "granting or pertaining to yearly renewable term insurance," Congress intended to take away the contractual right, it also intended to take away the remedy; that since it had power to take away the remedy, the statute should be given effect to that extent, even if void insofar as it purported to take away the contractual right. The suggestion is at war with settled rules of construction. It is true that a statute bad in part is not necessarily void in its entirety. A provision within the legislative power may be allowed to stand if it is separable from the bad. But no provision however unobjectionable in itself, can stand unless it appears both that, standing alone, the provision can be given legal effect and that the legislature intended the unobjectionable provision to stand in case other provisions held bad should fall. Dorchy v. Kansas, 264 U.S. 286, 288, 290. Here, both those essentials are absent. There is no separate provision in § 17 dealing with the remedy; and it does not appear that Congress wished to deny the remedy if the repeal of the contractual right was held void under the Fifth Amendment.
War Risk Insurance and the war gratuities were enjoyed, in the main, by the same classes of persons; and were administered by the same governmental agency. In respect of both, Congress had theretofore expressed its benevolent purpose perhaps more generously than would have been warranted in 1933 by the financial condition of the Nation. When it became advisable to reduce the Nation's existing expenditures, the two classes of benevolences were associated in the minds of the legislators; and it was natural that they should have wished to subject
Sixth. The judgments below appear to have been based, in the main, not on § 17 of the Economy Act, but on § 5 which provides:
"All decisions rendered by the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs under the provisions of this title, or the regulations issued pursuant thereto, shall be final and conclusive on all questions of law and fact, and no other official or court of the United States shall have jurisdiction to review by mandamus or otherwise any such decision."
This section, as the Solicitor General concedes, does not relate to War Risk Insurance. It concerns only grants to veterans and their dependents — pensions, compensation allowances and special privileges, all of which are gratuities. The purpose of the section appears to have been to remove the possibility of judicial relief in that class of cases even under the special circumstances suggested in Crouch v. United States, 266 U.S. 180; Silberschein v. United States, 266 U.S. 221; United States v. Williams, 278 U.S. 255; Smith v. United States, 57 F.2d 998. Compare United States v. Meadows, 281 U.S. 271.
Seventh. The Solicitor General concedes that in No. 861 no question is presented except that of jurisdiction dependent upon the construction of the clause in § 17 of the Economy Act discussed above. He contends in No. 855, that if jurisdiction is entertained, the demurrer
Eighth. Mention should be made of legislation by Congress enacted since the commencement of these suits.
1. Act of June 16, 1933, c. 101, § 20, 48 Stat. 309 provides:
"Notwithstanding the provisions of section 17, title I, Public Numbered 2, Seventy-third Congress, any claim for yearly renewable term insurance on which premiums were paid to the date of death of the insured . . . under the provisions of laws repealed by said section 17 wherein claim was duly filed prior to March 20, 1933, may be adjudicated by the Veterans' Administration on the proofs and evidence received by Veterans' Administration prior to March 20, 1933, and any person found entitled to the benefits claimed shall be paid such benefits in accordance with and in the amounts provided by such prior laws. .. ."
2. Section 35 of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act of 1935, passed on March 27-28, 1934, over the President's veto, provides:
"That notwithstanding the provisions of section 17 of title I, of an Act entitled `An Act to maintain the Credit of the United States Government' approved March 20, 1933, and section 20 of an Act entitled `An Act making appropriations for the Executive offices, etc. . . .' approved June 16, 1933, any claim for yearly renewable term insurance under the provisions of laws repealed by said section 17, wherein claim was duly filed prior to
The provision in the Act of June 16, 1933, which was enacted before the entry of judgments by the district courts, does not appear to have been considered by the lower courts. The provision in the Act of March 27-28, 1934, was enacted after the filing in this Court of the petitions for certiorari but before the writs were granted. As neither of these Acts was referred to by the Solicitor General or by counsel for the petitioners, we assume that there is nothing in them, or in any action taken thereunder, which should affect the disposition of the cases now before us. Any such matter also will be open for consideration by the lower courts upon the remand.
Reversed.
FootNotes
Payment where beneficiary dies before exhaustion of policy: e.g., Dec. 24, 1919, c. 16, §§ 15, 16, 41 Stat. 371, 376; Aug. 9, 1921, c. 57, § 26, 42 Stat. 147, 156; June 7, 1924, c. 320, § 26, 43 Stat. 607, 614.
Payment where beneficiary incompetent: e.g., Dec. 24, 1919, c. 16, § 5, 41 Stat. 371; Mar. 2, 1923, c. 173, § 1, 42 Stat. 1374; July 2, 1926, c. 723, § 2, 44 Stat. 790, 791.
Liability undertaken on certain policies which have lapsed through failure of payment of premiums, been cancelled by surrender or estoppel of later contract: e.g., Dec. 24, 1919, c. 16, § 12, 41 Stat. 371, 374; Aug. 9, 1921, c. 57, § 27, 42 Stat. 147, 156; July 3, 1930, c. 849, § 24, 46 Stat. 991, 1001.
Incontestability in favor of insured: Aug. 9, 1921, c. 57, § 30, 42 Stat. 147, 157; July 3, 1930, c. 849, § 24, 46 Stat. 499, 1001.
Administration may waive time for premium payment, grant various tolerances: Aug. 9, 1921, c. 57, §§ 24, 28, 42 Stat. 147, 155, 157; Mar. 4, 1923, c. 291, § 8, 42 Stat. 1521, 1526.
Proceeds exempted from taxation: June 25, 1918, c. 104, § 2, 40 Stat. 609.
The War Risk Insurance Act provided for the conversion of yearly renewable term insurance into level premium insurance at any time within five years from the date of the termination of the war; and The World's War Veterans' Act of June 7, 1924, c. 320, § 304, 43 Stat. 607, 625, provided that all yearly renewable term insurance should cease on July 2, 1926. But provision for extending the period for conversion and for reinstatement were made by later statutes and by regulations issued thereunder; June 2, 1926, c. 449, 44 Stat. 686; May 29, 1928, c. 875, § 14, 45 Stat. 964, 968; July 3, 1930, c. 849, § 22, 46 Stat. 991, 1001; June 24, 1932, c. 276, 47 Stat. 334. See Reports of United States Veterans' Bureau for 1926, pp. 54-56; for 1927, pp. 23-25; Reports of Administrator of Veterans' Affairs for 1931, p. 32; for 1932, p. 42; for 1933, p. 28.
"The Administrator of Veterans' Affairs under the general direction of the President shall immediately cause to be reviewed all allowed claims under the above referred to laws and where a person is found entitled under this Act, authorize payment or allowance of benefits in accordance with the provisions of this Act commencing with the first day of the fourth calendar month following the month during which this Act is enacted and notwithstanding the provisions of section 9 of this Act, no further claim in such cases shall be required. Provided, That nothing contained in this section shall interfere with payments heretofore made or hereafter to be made under contracts of yearly renewable term insurance which have matured prior to the date of enactment of this Act and under which payments have been commenced, or on any judgment heretofore rendered in a court of competent jurisdiction in any suit on a contract of yearly renewable term insurance, or which may hereafter be rendered in any such suit now pending: Provided further, That, subject to such regulations as the President may prescribe, allowances may be granted for burial and funeral expenses and transportation of the bodies (including preparation of the bodies) of deceased veterans of any war to the places of burial thereof in a sum not to exceed $107 in any one case.
"The provisions of this title shall not apply to compensation or pension (except as to rates, time of entry into active service and special statutory allowances) being paid to veterans disabled, or dependents of veterans who died, as the result of disease or injury directly connected with active military or naval service (without benefit of statutory or regulatory presumption of service connection) pursuant to the provisions of the laws in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. The term `compensation or pension' as used in this paragraph shall not be construed to include emergency officer's retired pay referred to in section 10 of this title."
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