Court-Martial Trial Practice

Kenneth Jerome Nelson was once celebrated as a war hero and the unofficial caretaker of a monument dedicated to Vietnam veterans in the shadow of the California State Capitol. Now, he’s known as a liar. The veterans activist pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Sacramento to wearing a Silver Star that had not…

That is Professor Colin Miller’s entree to: The Shrink(ing) Privilege, Take 2: New York Times Article Reports That Exceptions To Military Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege Are Hindering Therapy. My post is here on the NYT article discussing the military patient-psychotherapist privilege at court-martial and under the UCMJ.

FederalEvidence blog has posted: Fifth Circuit addresses an open issue concerning admission of medical statements under the Confrontation Clause; circuit also notes that “there is no constitutional right to confront the victim of a crime” where the government elects not to call the victim at trial, in United States v. Santos, _ F.3d _ (5th…

That’s how Tom Ricks characterizes the recent actions when the Navy relieved the CO, CMC, and transferred the XO of USS JAMES WILLIAMS (DDG 95). No court-martials of the leadership are anticipated. However, as Kate Wiltrout’s article points out, there have been quite a few disciplinary actions. The number of enlisted khaki involved seems quite…

Briscoe v. Virginia, a post Crawford and Melendez-Diaz case is scheduled to be argued at the U. S. Supreme Court on 11 January 2010. Professor Friedman will argue for petitioner Briscoe. Professor Friedman notes that, “I have just served and filed the reply in Briscoe. You can read it by clicking here.” All of the…

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s defense attorney skirmished with Army commanders Wednesday over the timing of a sanity examination for the Fort Hood gunman, saying that his client is still too medically impaired to participate. So begins a piece in the Dallas News. What’s the flaw. There is no judge that attorney Galligan can go to…

United States v. Story. Here the issue is two-fold: what is the response when the members want to call a witness, and what is permissible on appeal to demonstrate prejudice. ACCA found error in the military judge denying the members an opportunity to call a witness. On appeal, ACCA found that documents submitted by appellate…

The Navy’s rule forcing sailors to “promptly” tell their commanding officers if they have been arrested for an off-base drunken-driving violation is unconstitutional, the Navy and Marine Corps’s highest military judges have ruled. And so begins a Navy Times article on United States v. Serianne. I have posted before about the new DoD regulation that…

Here are a couple of interesting items exploring the mental health issues potentially involved with Major Nidal Malik Hasan’s shooting rampage at Fort Hood – conclusion, he’s sane. Howard Bloom asks, What if Nidal Malik Hasan is Sane? Psychology Today blog. Were they the insane acts of a man driven over the edge by the…

No, this isn’t an advert for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, or any other. It’s a reminder that Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance, states “Excessive tattoos and brands will not be exposed or visible while in uniform.” Excessive is defined as any tattoo/brands exceeding one-quarter of the exposed body part and those above…