Court-Martial Trial Practice

The court has decided Maryland v. Shatzer (background documents on SCOTUSWiki here ) and also Florida v. Powell (background documents on SCOTUSWiki here). Both cases relate to “Miranda” rights and confessions. In Powell, the issue was how much detail must go into a “Miranda” warning in order to be sufficient, in Shatzer the court addresses…

United States v. Douglas. This is a UCI case. The military judge found UCI and then crafted a remedy. The issue on appeal related to the appropriateness of the remedy and whether or not the appellant had accepted the remedy and actively participated in the remedy. The AFCCA decision was reversed. If the record disclosed…

Is a false marriage certificate to claim otherwise unauthorized allowances an official document? No, it would be the presentation of that document as showing an entitlement that is the false statement, not the marriage certificate itself. The court also found the appellant’s plea to a conspiracy to commit a false official statement as improvident. The…

Pilot Online reports: Five sailors could offer testimony contradicting the government’s main witness in the controversial prosecution of three Navy SEALs accused of mistreating a suspected Iraqi terrorist. But whether they’ll take the stand is in question after the government denied their requests for immunity on Friday. As military justice practitioners well know, the issue…

An Air Force colonel will be forced to retire as a first lieutenant, an Air Force review determined. Col. Michael D. Murphy, convicted in April 2009 by a general court-martial for failing to tell the Air Force he was disbarred as an attorney in 1984, will be retired from the Air Force effective April 1…

In United States v. Willis, No. ARMY 20071339, which is being argued on Thursday, the issue is: “WHETHER THE PROSECUTION AGAINST APPELLANT WAS BARRED BY A GRANT OF DE FACTO IMMUNITY WHEN THE GOVERNMENT AGREED TO DISMISS CHARGES IF APPELLANT PASSED A POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION AND APPELLANT PASSED A POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION.” h/tip CAAFLog.

Fort Hood and the Bell County Sheriff’s Office are in discussions to transfer Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man accused of killing 13 and wounding 32 others during a Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, from the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio to Bell County Jail. Reports kdhnews.com John Galligan, attorney for Nidal…

The Navy’s largest overseas installation has seen a significant drop in incidents of drinking and driving over the last two years, thanks in part, to a persistent sobriety checkpoint program, according to base officials. Stars & Stripes reports. The answer to alcohol related incidents, including deaths, injury, and property damage is simple. Treat alcohol as…

CAAFLog reports: Sens. Leahy and Kaufman and Rep. David Price introduced companion bills in the Senate and House titled the “Civilian Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act” (CEJA?), on Feb. 2, 2010. H.R. 4567 and S. 2979 create a new section 3272 in title 18.

[L]ate Friday afternoon, the Army said the hearing has been moved to June 1 in response to a defense request. KWTX.com reports. Although they still persist in referring the to Article 32, UCMJ, hearing as equivalent to a grand jury.