With the Trump pardons, the question came up, again, whether accepting a Presidential pardon is an acknowledgment of guilt. For many, Burdick v. United States, 236 U.S. 79 (1925), answered the question in the affirmative. In Burdick, the appellant was offered but declined a pardon. He then refused to testify…
There is a report of SGT Hatley being released from prison after 11 years confinement. The ACCA’s 2011 opinion is here. An enlisted panel sitting as a general court-martial convicted appellant, contrary to his pleas, of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder and premeditated murder, in violation of Articles 81 and…
The Jeffrey MacDonald murder case: A timeline of a major events. One of North Carolina’s most infamous murder cases is back in the national spotlight, with the release this week of the FX documentary series “A Wilderness of Error.” Former Green Beret Army doctor Jeffrey MacDonald was convicted in 1979…
As a reminder, Prof. Cole brings us, Michael Murphy (University of Pennsylvania Law School) has posted The Search for Clarity in an Attorney’s Duty to Google on SSRN. Attorneys have a professional duty to investigate relevant facts about the matters on which they work. There is no specific rule or statute requiring that…
CNN reports, See also, https://connectingvets.radio.com/articles/retired-army-general-james-grazioplene-stand-trial-rape-charges-army-dismissed https://taskandpurpose.com/news/retired-army-general-rape-charges Retired Army Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene on Wednesday admitted to sexually abusing his then-teenage daughter in the 1980s, in exchange for a suspension of his sentence. His daughter, Jennifer Elmore, turned 49 on Wednesday. Grazioplene pleaded guilty in a Prince William County, Virginia, circuit…
We know that some people lie about being sexually assaulted. We know that one of the reasons–motives–or as psychologists say “the secondary gain,” is to protect a marriage or relationship. We know that some women are like men, they cheat on their spouse. Yet investigators often ignore these knowns–in following…
Akorede Omotayo, The Right to Silence–or the Presumption of Guilt. This is an interesting discussion from another country on something we are familiar with. It will be recalled that the right to silence formerly comprises the privilege against self-incrimination and the right not to have adverse inferences drawn from his…
From time to time I bring attention to a civilian case that may be of interest to practitioners. Mostly these are post-CAAF cases arising from the USDB. So today I have Coleman v. Commandant., decided 22 November 2019, in the USDC Kansas. This matter is a pro se petition for…
American Prosecutors’ Powers and Obligations in the Era of Plea Bargaining. Darryl K. Brown [University of Virginia School of Law]. I. Introduction American prosecutors are generally understood to have a lot of power, and that power is often the subject of criticism. But whether American prosecutors’ power is problematic depends on…
If you, like me and some of my colleagues, have personal experiences from military clients who commit, get stopped in the act, or consider suicide while pending court-martial, you are facing a difficult challenge. My first was a client I was representing on appeal who hung himself in the SHU…