Army officials agreed to delay a mental evaluation for the man suspected of going on a shooting spree at Fort Hood until after a military court hearing that will determine if he will stand trial, his attorney said Wednesday.
Houston Chronicle.com reports.
Lamb denied a request for civilian mental health experts to be on the panel, Galligan said, adding that "we will continue to fight that."
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Major Hasan follow-up
You’ll remember some time ago now that a suspect was arrested trying to visit Major Hasan while in hospital.
A Texas man accused of saying he legally represented alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan is bipolar and was off his medication, his lawyer said.
Senan Kahtan Abrahem of San Antonio was released Monday on unsecured bond after his lawyer told a federal magistrate Abrahem had resumed his medication and was not a flight risk, the San Antonio Express-News reported Tuesday.
Major Hasan update
An attorney for the Army psychiatrist accused of going on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood said Monday he wants his client’s mental evaluation delayed, citing a potential conflict of interest with the exam panel.
Army officials previously appointed a three-member board of military mental health professionals to determine whether Maj. Nidal Hasan is competent to stand trial and his mental status the day of the November shooting, which left 13 dead and dozens wounded on the Texas Army post.
Briscoe-Melendez-Diaz-Crawford
Well, that may be anti-climatic? I think the Supremes punted. Here’s a link to the Briscoe memorandum opinion, more later.
PER CURIAM. We vacate the judgment of the Supreme Court of Vir-ginia and remand the case for further proceedings not inconsistent with the opinion in Melendez-Diaz v. Massa-chusetts, 557 U. S. ___ (2009).
Stolen Valor – an interesting twist – It’s protected speech
A challenge to the Stolen Valor Act is being made based on the First Amendment.
Rick Strandlof may have lied about being a decorated Iraq War veteran, but those lies are protected by the First Amendment, according to his attorney and a civil liberties organization.
CAAF grants
Three interesting grants from CAAF in the last few days.
No. 07-0401/NA. U.S. v. Russell B. MULLINS. CCA 200200988. Review granted on the following issues:
WHETHER THE LOWER COURT IN HOLDING THAT THERE WAS NOTHING IMPERMISSIBLE IN THE MILITARY JUDGE ALLOWING THE GOVERNMENT TO INTRODUCE LIE DETECTOR TESTIMONY IN VIOLATION OF MILITARY RULE OF EVIDENCE 702.
Galesburg CP case
Here is a little more information about the NG soldier held in Afghanistan pending court-martial for alleged CP sent to him by his mother.
The family of an Illinois National Guard soldier believes he was wrongly accused of possessing child pornography by a friend he had recently argued with.
Rodney and Terri Miller told the Galesburg Register-Mail that their son, Specialist Billy Miller, had a falling out with a friend Afghanistan, and the friend subsequently reported seeing inappropriate pictures on Billy Miller’s laptop.
Soldier convicted and sentenced
A Hohenfels-based soldier was sentenced to 8½ years in prison Thursday in a knife attack on a German family last summer.
Racine, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, was originally charged with one count of attempted premeditated murder, along with several lesser charges, according to the official Army charge sheet. But after the three-day trial before a military judge, Racine was convicted of aggravated assault with the intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.
But the defense argued that Racine thought he was in a war zone, and that he attacked the German family as he sought shelter in their apartment.
Major Hasan update
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he has forwarded recommendations to the Army for disciplinary action against supervisors of the accused Ft. Hood shooter.
The LA Times reports.
The report recommends clarifying for unit commanders their responsibility in identifying people who could pose a threat. Unit commanders, according to the report, must become attuned to indicators of behavioral problems or the potential for violence or radicalization.
CPT Bjork – Evergreen
You’ll have seen various reports about the pending prosecution of CPT Bjork for allegedly ordering some Iraqi officers to shoot two Iraqi civilians (I have few here, and here). There is a report in The US Report.
[T]he accusers are 3 former Iraqi police and a former Iraqi intel officer who are currently detainees in Iraq.
Reports have also surfaced that the detainees were allowed to speak with each other about their claims.
Court-Martial Trial Practice Blog

