“If we prioritize conviction rates rather than having just verdicts, and if we vote that way in elections, this problem [of unfair, biased criminal prosecutions] will just continue.” by Todd VanDerWerff on January 11, 2016, Netflix’s Making a Murderer: the directors explain what many have missed about the series. Vox.com, January 11,…
Barracks, Dormitories, and Capitol Hill: Finding Justice in the Divergent Politics of Military and College Sexual Assault Rudderless: 15 Years and Still Little Direction on the Boundaries of Military Rule of Evidence 513 Open-Ended Pharmaceutical Alibi: The Army’s Quest to Limit the Duration of Controlled Substances for Soldiers A Better…
Out of Focus: Expanding the Definition of Child Pornography in the Military The Code Indicted: Why the Time is Right to Implement a Grand Jury Proceeding in the Military
The Army Court of Criminal Appeals has an interesting opinion and reminder about the relationship of improper relationships when there is an allegation of sexual assault. United States v. Delgado, ARMY 20140927 (A. Ct. Crim. App. 6 January 2016). AR 600-20, para. 4-14b. prohibits relationships between soldiers of different ranks…
Is this agent still investigating? Does this agent have any pending investigations or appearance as a witness in a UCMJ case? A man arrested just before Christmas for allegedly pulling out his gun at a restaurant because he didn’t like the bill is a Special Agent for the U.S. Army’s…
Thus begins a review of the Military Justice Review Group (MJRG) report Part 1. My comments will be in no particular order. Confinement to Bread & Water Currently, a person can be confined for up to three days on bread and water rations, under certain circumstances. The MJRG recommends removing…
The pretrial appellate litigation in Bergdahl is effectively over–charges are referred to trial and he has been arraigned. For those interested in the litigation to get access to UCMJ art. 32 hearing documents, I have collated the documents here. There is a new effort to get quicker media access to…
We are all familiar with the interactions that can occur between the military and civilian prosecutors when deciding who will prosecute a servicemember for crimes in the “civilian” community. Sometimes the result is a civilian prosecution and the military takes adverse administrative actions, sometimes the civilians hand over the case…
The interesting case of West v. Rieth, et. al. has come across the transom and it’s worth the read. West alleges that the Federal Defendants, who with one exception were also U.S. Marine Corps service members at all relevant times, conspired to lodge false complaints and accusations of sexual harassment and sexual…
One of the discussions ongoing about military sexual assault cases is the breadth of conduct meant to capture, and potential ambiguities in how the law seeks to define a crime versus boorish or otherwise inappropriate behavior. Here is an interesting piece based on developments in Canada. Implied Consent & Sexual…