“We thus readily conclude that ex parte communications between a military judge and an SVC are generally proscribed.” Yes, inexplicably, it was necessary for the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals (AFCCA) to decide such an issue, as part of deciding what impact, if any, SVC’s ex parte communications had…
Packingham v. North Carolina is the case of Lester Packingham, a North Carolina man who became a registered sex offender after he was convicted, at the age of 21, of taking indecent liberties with a minor. Six years after Packingham’s conviction, North Carolina enacted a law that made it a…
32 CFR Part 105 Sexual Assault Prevention and Response (SAPR) Program Procedures; Final Rule, of 27 September 2016, 81 FR 66424. This rule contains amendments to an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on April 11, 2013, which provided guidance and procedures for the SAPR Program. This included…
Check the warrant, or in the military the search authorization. The recent decision of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals in a government appeal tells you why it’s important to check the warrant. In United States v. Gurzynski, the court had before it a government appeal of a military judge’s…
The NMCCA has issued two significant opinions this week, one of which is worth the read while the United States prosecution of Bowe Bergdahl continues. United States v. Solis, __ M.J. ___ (N-M Ct. Crim. App. 2016). The case presents discussion of continuing issues relating to the nature of the…
Is it an indecent exposure offense under UCMJ art. 120, to show someone a digital picture of your own genitals? In a published opinion in United States v. Williams, __ M.J. __, No. 20140401 (A. Ct. Crim. App. Mar. 30, 3016), the Army Court of Criminal Appeals split 2-1 in deciding…
There are a couple of interesting items in Vol. 224, MIL. L. REV. MILITARY JUSTICE INCOMPETENCE OVER COMPETENCY DETERMINATIONS, by Major David C. Lai. This is relevant to me because I have an appellate case where there are issues with the client’s current competency and there were at trial. ALWAYS…
Something here for the downrange SJA/BJA. You’ll remember this: Joseph Goldstein, U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies, N.Y. Times (Sept. 20, 2015),http://nyti.ms/1KrOuSM. And perhaps the Soldier trouble for beating up an Afghan. See Kyle Jahner, ‘One of the Best’: Defenders Show Support for Ousted…
Compulsive lying, or mythomania, can be common in people with Borderline Personality Disorder. ClearviewTreatment, Borderline Personality Treatment. Diagnosed, suspected? I believe there are several basic motivations to lie when you have BPD. There are also two types of lies: by admission (by telling) and by omission (by not telling). Both…
The Guardian reports, Detective criticised for ‘getting too close’ in alleged rape case, 9 May 2016. A senior judge has criticised a police detective and the Crown Prosecution Service for their handling of an accusation of gang rape after the case against four young men collapsed just as their trial was…