Hugo Black

“ It is here contended that the words of the Economy Act repealing 'other allowances' and 'laws * * * pertaining to yearly renewable term insurance' are broad enough to include a repeal of automatic insurance. With this contention we cannot agree.
Repeals by implication are not favored. A law is not to be construed as impliedly repealing a prior law unless no other reasonable construction can be applied. ”

“ It is to be remembered that automatic insurance applied to that particular group of American soldiers who either were killed, died, or became wholly or permanently incapacitated before they had a reasonable opportunity to obtain insurance of any kind. It may be that Congress did not believe it proper to economize at the expense of those veterans who came out of the army with health completely destroyed or to the detriment of the beneficiaries of soldiers who lost their lives in service without a reasonable opportunity to apply for insurance. ”

“ Section 401 did not grant yearly renewable term insurance, nor is it an enactment upon that subject. It provided for those soldiers who died in service before they had an opportunity to purchase yearly renewable term insurance or any other type of insurance. This law, therefore, did not pertain to yearly renewable term insurance but to protection for soldiers who never had and never could obtain yearly renewable term insurance. ”