Last month, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand made it known she would continue to pursue military justice reform to better prosecute cases involving sexual assault. Now, as The Hill reports, the Pentagon has issued a letter to the Senator’s office countering her claims and insisting that her grasp on the latest military sexual assault data is … Read more
In recent years past, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has called for the installation independent prosecutors into the military justice system to better identify, try, and prosecute sexual assault offenders. Those efforts have been narrowly defeated in the Senate, but, as Stars and Stripes reports, Gillibrand will be re-proposing the amendment to the annual defense … Read more
Another recent decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces has confronted the difficulties inherent to defining consent in sexual assault cases and resulted in the reversal of a guilty verdict. Critical to the case, The United States v. Rogers, was an uncorrected bias by a court-martial panel member that the appellate … Read more
According to the NCIS, a growing number of sailors have been targeted for “sextortion.” As The Day reports, the agency has been taking preventive measures to help sailors recognize the signs of the crime and avoid being victimized by criminals who are difficult to prosecute. “Sextortion” is a form of extortion that occurs online. Perpetrators pose … Read more
Court-martial proceedings for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl have been halted over a question of his legal team’s access to classified documents for weeks now. In a decision handed down last week, however, The United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals ruled in Bergdahl’s lawyers’ favor, saying that the legal team should have access to classified documents … Read more
For years now, the story of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and his alleged desertion has captured headlines and incensed the public. However, he is not the only U.S. Army soldier to go missing in 2009 and, as Stars and Stripes pointsout in a new profile, one case in particular has significant similarities to Bergdahl’s own. THE STORY OF … Read more
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Barbara Boxer of California are pressuring the Army due to its apparent handling of the case of Private Jameson T. Hazelbower. While accused of child rape, Hazelbower went AWOL from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY and was not pursued by the Army, but incidentally apprehended … Read more
Last month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces made its final ruling on United States v. Jacob L. Pease, Information Systems Technician Second Class, United States Navy. Pease was initially accused and convicted of three specifications of sexual assault and one charge of abusive sexual contact but, upon appeal, those verdicts … Read more
It is nearly unheard of for a military officer to stand trial, or even be publically accused of sexual misconduct. Military records over the last few years, however, are now showing that this culture of silence and shielding military leaders from these allegations is slowly eroding. As Stars and Stripes reports, pressure on the military from Washington … Read more
Whether in War or in a Criminal trial, you never want the power of the United States Government turning its attention on you. An issue has been percolating in my mind for that last few years: “Is the American Military Justice really interested in fairness?” Recent events have demonstrated to me a stark imbalance: the … Read more
