It’s called a pen or keys on a computer keyboard–use one or two, or three, or . . . . Senators demand transparency in US military justice system These words are great. They should be acted upon. Senators ACT. Can you perhaps put something in the next NDAA or get…
Court-Martial Trial Practice Blog
What do I say to you?
Stars & Stripes reports: If I were Petraeus’s lawyer or your lawyer and got a similar result I’d be ecstatic, as would you be. But the other part of me asks what I should tell you the young enlisted client, the NCO, the junior officer, the senior officer, in a similar…
Interesting AFCCA comment on adultery
Although we question the prosecutorial judgment in charging adultery in conjunction with an instance of sexual assault, we find the evidence is legally and factually sufficient to sustain the conviction in this particular case. Article 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 866(c). United States v. Dockery, No. 38624, n. 1 (A.F.…
Interesting data?
In preparing the petition for Schloff, we looked to the amount of cases coming through the system related to prosecutions under UCMJ art. 120. The Army is “reporting” about 60% of cases for last year were sexual assault/120 cases. We have not been able to gain similar “information” from the…
Private search of computers
How many times do we see the private search as an issue. The upset spouse searches the computer to find evidence of infidelity, the Sailor’s friend or roommate comes across contraband CP on a computer and looks further, etc., etc., etc. A responsible law enforcer would take the information to…
News of the Weird?
The Washington Post has an article by Orin Kerr on a report in the New York Times about a bill introduced in Congress to change or clarify the “mens rea” required in federal criminal statutes. I probably should not comment on where the proposal may have come from. It is proposed…
In the Supremes
On 30 November 2015, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Musacchio v. United States, a case of potential interest to military justice practitioners. There are two questions presented. (1) Whether the law-of-the-case doctrine requires the sufficiency of the evidence in a criminal case to be measured against the elements…
A question of judge and jury impartiality–conflict
The petition for a writ of certiorari has been filed in Sullivan v. United States, CGCMG 0285 (C.G. Ct. Crim. App. 25 September 2014)(unpub.), 74 M.J. 448 (C.A.A.F. 2014).
Not CSI, but is it even close
We all laugh at TV shows and movies which we think of as fantasy. The CSI shows, NCIS, JAG, among . We ..get a laugh out of them. But reality may make you cry. Nathan J. Robinson, Forensic Pseudoscience: The Unheralded Crisis of Criminal Justice. Boston Review, November 16, 2015. This past April,…
ALAS, POOR TRUTH, WE KNEW YOU
My title is the title of an excellent article in the Air Force Reporter by Thomas G. Becker. Mr. Becker takes on the amount of damage done to military justice and the truth-seeking process because of the changes to Article 32 proceedings.