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