Nearly two years after prosecutors in Jacksonville decided not to charge anyone in the gunfight that killed a club owner outside his bar north of Springfield, the Navy has acquitted a sailor of murder in the case. NewsJacksonville.com reports — Navy prosecutors would only say they had believed the case…
Court-Martial Trial Practice Blog
Major Hasan gossip
An Army psychiatrist accused of fatally shooting 13 at the Fort Hood, Texas, military base had asked for a Muslim cleric’s advice about killing U.S. troops, according to a new interview. CNN.com reports. Retired Army Col. John Galligan, Hasan’s civilian attorney, has said his client is considering pleading not guilty…
CGCCA case to watch
The CGCCA has issued a 2-1 opinion in United States v. Lucas, and it is likely a case to watch with CAAF. The CGCCA has been the most vigilant of the services in protecting an accused’s post-trial rights, so the decision in this case seems odd. There is no evidence…
UP
Some news stories: "US: SOLDIERS FORCED TO GO AWOL FOR PTSD CARE." Inter Press Service English News Wire. 2009. HighBeam Research. (December 23, 2009). http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-174196126.html With a military health care system over-stretched by two ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, more soldiers are deciding to go absent without leave (AWOL)…
Another Stolen Valor case
A man accused of posing as a highly decorated war veteran faces federal charges of falsely wearing heroic medals of honor. Angel Manuel Ocasio-Reyes, 48, was charged under the Stolen Valor Act. This is the fourth time in 12 months someone has been prosecuted under the Stolen Valor Act, according…
Third SEAL pleads NG
The third SEAL accused in the assault of an alleged al-Qaida terrorist pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of dereliction of duty and making a false official statement in a military court on Norfolk Naval Base. Trial by court-martial is set for 6 April 2010, Navy Times reports. The other…
More pregnancy issues.
Here is the Order in question regarding getting pregnant while deployed to the AOR. So far as reported earlier there have not been any court-martials. Bob McCarty has blogged the issue from what appears to be a non-lawyer perspective.
Discipline under new pregnancy rules
Seven U.S. soldiers, including three men, have already been punished under six-week-old rules making pregnancy a violation of military law in northern Iraq. Stars & Stripes reports. The four soldiers who became pregnant were given letters of reprimand that will not remain a part of the permanent military file, Cucolo…
Major Hasan pretrial punishment?
The lead defense lawyer for accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan said Monday that he believes the Army is violating Hasan’s religious rights because it prohibited him from praying from the Koran in Arabic with a relative. Attorney John P. Galligan said he learned that police guarding Hasan…
Litigation by Media and Congress
For some years now, primarily relating to Iraq/Afghanistan cases there has been lots of litigation by media and congress. The current move to save the SEALs by congress is just the most recent example of seeking to influence a court-martial case. The “litigation” has been both for and against the…