The Mayer Law Blog

Shopping for a Military Lawyer? Part 1: Courts-Martial

Posted November 10th, 2014

Judging from a cursory Google search, looking for a military lawyer can be an ominous task. Yet, you’re probably searching for a lawyer who will represent you at a time when you are the most vulnerable, desperate, and in need of someone competent to stand by your side. Here are a few things to help… Read More

Bad Idea Files: Video Evidence

Posted January 14th, 2014

Here is a cautionary tale that most military attorneys would say stands for several basic principles. First, don’t make statements to others about your wrongdoing. Second, don’t make up a lie about your wrongdoing. Third, you especially should not lie about your military service–especially claiming combat service that you do not have. Fourth, you should… Read More

Interesting Human Interest Article on Ft. Bragg Court-Martial

Posted January 6th, 2014

Today, I ran across an interesting human interest story on the court-martial of Brigadier General Sinclair at Ft. Bragg, NC. Taken at face value, it is an interesting look into the human side of the trial and the effect it has had on the parties involved. Military lawyers continue to watch this unfolding trial with… Read More

Sexual Assault Reports Are Up, But What Does It Mean?

Posted January 2nd, 2014

There are statistics, then there is how statistics are interpreted. The latter varies wildly depending on political persuasions. In practice, such debates in congress is of little use to military lawyers who focus on courts-martial, as we just continue defending allegations one case at a time. However, we are always mindful of potential changes and… Read More

Insight into British Military Law

Posted December 9th, 2013

If you’ve been following the murder trial in the UK concerning a Royal Marine, it provides an interesting insight into their court-martial system. More information can be found here.

Court-Martial Begins for Former Sexual Assault Response Coordinator

Posted December 3rd, 2013

The last few years have seen some enhanced scrutiny of military sexual assaults and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This was one of the noteworthy cases that added fuel to the fire, causing congress to move forward this year with radical proposals for UCMJ reform. It was largely overblown and used as an example… Read More

Possible Changes to UCMJ Article 32

Posted November 21st, 2013

One of the most important aspects of a General Court-Martial is the requirement that an investigation pursuant to Article 32, UCMJ occur before the referral of charges. This is a longstanding rule, known well to military lawyers throughout the services. However, it is poised to change. Currently, it serves several important purposes, these include: 1…. Read More

Courts-Martial: Serious Business

Posted August 16th, 2013

Courts-martial are serious business. For that reason, you are not allowed to laugh about anything contained in the following excerpt from the Washington Post. FORT BRAGG, N.C. — It was an illicit and volatile love affair that spanned two war zones and four countries. The married general couldn’t stay away from a captain on his… Read More

Hasan Court-Martial Verdict (Sort of)

Posted August 6th, 2012

Major Nidal Hasan has been found guilty–of contempt. It seems that Hasan, for religious reasons, chooses to sport an impressive (by some standards) beard, and the military judge in his court-martial is none too happy about it. To date, Colonel Gregory Gross has held Hasan in contempt of court and excluded him from a few pretrial… Read More

Court-Martial News – June 2012

Posted June 26th, 2012

Far too often, courts-martial end badly for the service member involved. Even cases that end well normally leave the accused worse than they were before the preferral of court-martial charges. Recently, we received news that one of our past court-martial cases ended extremely well for the young man accused of crimes. Three years ago, he… Read More