Articles Tagged with galligan

Army Times reports:

The Army psychiatrist charged in last year’s deadly Fort Hood shooting rampage is to have a mental evaluation this week, his attorney said Monday.

Maj. Nidal Hasan will be evaluated in the county jail near the Texas Army post as early as Tuesday by a three-member military mental health panel, said his lead attorney, John Galligan.

curiouser and curiouser, the Houston Chronicle reports:

Army Col. James Pohl he told the defense it could put its arguments for the continuance into writing rather than air them in court. Defense attorneys did not want to explain their reasons publicly.

"I believe that would protect your client’s interest," Pohl said, adding that he would "give you that option rather than discuss it in open court."

Courtesy of Karen Franklin’s blog:

101110The defense team for Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan has retained prominent forensic psychologist Xavier Amador. The New York-based expert has been involved in several high-profile cases involving the military, including those of PFC Lynndie England (of Abu Ghraib infamy) and U.S. Army sergeant Hasan Akbar, who killed two fellow officers and wounded 14 soldiers in Kuwait in 2003. He was also a defense expert in the trial of would-be 9/11 hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui.

Inside Bay Area has a piece about corruption in the California National Guard.

From 1986 until her retirement last year, Jaffe’s job with the California Army National Guard was to give away money — the federally subsidized student-loan repayments and cash bonuses — paid for by federal taxpayers nationwide — that the Guard is supposed to use to attract new recruits and encourage Guard members to re-enlist.

Instead, according to a Guard auditor turned federal whistle-blower, as much as $100 million has gone to soldiers who didn’t qualify for the incentives, including some who got tens of thousands of dollars more than the program allows.

I posted the other day about the defense refusal to cooperate in a scheduled R.C.M. 706 board.

Mr. Galligan’s website now points to this CNN piece.  The title of his posting is, “Army Attempts Last Minute Changes to Sanity Board.”  The CNN piece makes several observations.

  1. The defense objects to the timing.

Despite the political rhetoric LTC Lakin’s case has given us a number of teaching moments or opportunity to refresh on some basic practice principles.

1.  Can LTC Lakin change lawyers at this stage.  The answer in this case is probably yes.  Although technically Mr. Jensen should submit a motion to be released and the new counsel file a notice of appearance.

2.  Can LTC Lakin’s get a delay in the trial.  Trial is currently set to begin 3 November 2010.  The current docket is dated 6 October 2010.  There is some question whether or not Neal Puckett or his other counsel are available because of the Wuterich trial ongoing.  Also, there would be an issue of giving them an opportunity to prepare for trial.  The answer to a continuance request in this case is probably yes, unless the prosecution can show an extraordinary adverse effect on their case by a delay.

Army Times reports:

A military officer has ordered a mental evaluation for the suspect in the November Fort Hood shootings before a key hearing next week.

Earlier this year, Army officials 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 Nov. 5 shooting.

I posted that Mr. Galligan had sought to have the Hasan Article 32, UCMJ, hearing closed to avoid media attention.

Dallas news reports.

A hearing outlining evidence against U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan in last year’s massacre at a soldier readiness center should be public, a military official ruled Thursday.

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