Court-Martial Trial Practice

CAAF has released an opinion in United States v. Bush, __ M.J. ___ (C.A.A.F. 2009). That means, according to CAAFLog, two more to go before of all of the current pending decisions have been released. Judge Erdmann writes the opinion; Judge Ryan writes a “concur in the judgment” opinion which Judge Stuckey is in agreement…

Professor Colin Miller of the excellent EvidenceProf blog alerts that the CrimLawProf blog is back up and running with a new cast of characters.

Here’s a little more on the Army’s reinstatement of the QMP program from Nancy Montgomery with Stars & Stripes. After nearly seven years of suspension, what the Army calls the “Qualitative Management Program” is back, providing a means, the Army says, of ridding the service of marginal leaders. The QMP review applies to all retirement-eligible…

Military.com is reporting: August 14, 2009 (The talk is reported here.) Associated Press A lecture by the woman who became the public face of the Abu Ghraib scandal was canceled Friday at the Library of Congress after threats caused concerns about staff safety. Former Army reservist Lynndie England had been scheduled to discuss her biography…

Yesterday was a post about another active duty war protestor. Here is an update and some commentary. ——————– Armed for Court-Martial Combat, The Austin Chronicle. In recent years, anti-war resistance in the military has concentrated on the Iraq conflict. But as forces in Afghanistan increase, that war is being highlighted in Central Texas by the…

With several military personnel on death row and in the federal appeals/habeas process, and several death referred cases pending, here is an interesting article on some federal judges pushing back on limits on appeals. Limits On Death Penalty Review Sparking Judges’ Dissents Posted Aug 14 2009 – A study by The New York Times reveals…

From the Killeen Daily Herald News, by Rebecca LaFlure (photo Steven Doll) Sgt. Travis Bishop, 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, walks out of a military court at Fort Hood with supporter Cindy Thomas, manager of Under the Hood Café Thursday afternoon on the first day of his special court-martial. A Fort Hood soldier who says fighting…

NMCCA has an unpublished opinion on line in United States v. Thomas. The case is interesting partly because it is an recitation of some facts vice news reported “facts.” I find footnote 3 to the decision of some interest: The Second Circuit has found that removal of any person who has previously served on a…

Army reduces soldiers’ murder sentences By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Saturday, August 15, 2009 GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — The life sentence of a U.S. soldier convicted for the execution-style killings of four bound and blindfolded Iraqi detainees has been reduced to 40 years, military officials announced Friday. . . . Hatley is the…

Call for Papers – 2010 ASIL Lieber Society Military Prize by Kenneth Anderson Here is the official call for papers for the 2010 ASIL Lieber Society Military Prize essay. To enter a paper, you do not have to be a member of ASIL, but you do have to be a member of your “nation’s regular…