Military Law

Law designed to prevent domestic abusers from buying guns, but national database not always updated

Many mass shooters and other violent criminals have had little problem buying guns despite past legal run-ins for domestic abuse. A federal law known as the Lautenberg Amendment, passed in 1996, generally bars gun purchases by people convicted of domestic abuse. Yet the law has not worked, partly because conviction…

Nov 7, 2017 11:36 AM CST

Pentagon defers contempt sentence of chief defense counsel in Guantanamo defense ‘revolt’

A Pentagon official has deferred the contempt-of-court sentence of Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker, the lead defense counsel in the case of a Guantanamo Bay detainee that caused a revolt by defense lawyers. According to McClatchy, Baker had been sentenced to 21 days of confinement to quarters—in Guantanamo, a trailer—after…

Nov 3, 2017 6:23 PM CDT

Bowe Bergdahl won’t serve prison time for deserting post before capture by Taliban

Updated: Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl won’t serve any time in prison for the desertion that led to his capture by the Taliban in 2009 and search efforts in which some service members were wounded.

Nov 3, 2017 11:10 AM CDT

Chief defense lawyer for Gitmo military commissions is sentenced for contempt

A Guantanamo judge has imposed a contempt sentence of 21 days’ confinement on the Marine general who is chief defense counsel for the military commissions there. The judge, Air Force Col. Vance Spath, found Marine Brig. Gen. John Baker in contempt for disobeying his orders in the case of a…

Nov 2, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Gitmo lawyers’ resignation over classified issue is part of defense ‘revolt’ in USS Cole case

Three civilian lawyers have quit their defense of the man accused of orchestrating the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole, part of a “defense revolt” in the case, according to a report by the Miami Herald. The reason for the resignation is highly classified, but it involves compromised attorney-client privilege…

Oct 31, 2017 3:56 PM CDT

Trump’s criticism of Bergdahl will be considered as mitigation evidence in sentencing, judge says

A military judge who will sentence Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for desertion says he will consider critical comments by President Donald Trump as weighing in favor of a lighter sentence. The judge, Col. Jeffery Nance, said on Monday that he will consider Trump’s comments as mitigation evidence, report the New York…

Oct 31, 2017 11:30 AM CDT

Federal judge bars enforcement of plan to ban transgender people in the military

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has issued a preliminary injunction that bans the Trump administration from implementing plans to ban transgender people in the military. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly issued the preliminary injunction Monday, report the Washington Post, Think Progress and the Associated Press. Kollar-Kotelly enjoined enforcement of…

Oct 30, 2017 12:30 PM CDT

Released from Taliban in prisoner exchange, Bowe Bergdahl pleads guilty to desertion

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior on Monday for leaving his Army base in Afghanistan before his capture by the Taliban. Bergdahl pleaded guilty before a military judge in North Carolina, report the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press and CNN. The desertion charge…

Oct 16, 2017 10:09 AM CDT

Mattis to keep policy on transgender troops in place pending study on how to implement Trump’s ban

Defense Secretary James Mattis announced Tuesday that he will keep in place the current policy allowing transgender people in the military to continue to serve while a new expert panel studies the issue. Mattis said the panel will provide recommendations on how to implement President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender…

Aug 30, 2017 8:41 AM CDT

Two suits challenge Trump ban on transgender individuals joining the military

Updated: Two lawsuits filed on Monday challenge President Donald Trump’s ban on the acceptance of transgender individuals in the military.

Aug 28, 2017 8:57 AM CDT

5 transgender military members sue President Trump over planned ban

Five active-duty transgender service members have pre-emptively sued President Donald Trump over his plans to ban them from the military, the Washington Post reports.

Aug 11, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

Federal judge orders State Department to search its archives for Clinton emails referencing Benghazi

A federal judge has ruled the State Department must look in its own archives for emails then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may have sent concerning the 2012 attack at the U.S. Embassy compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans including a U.S. ambassador. Politico and Courthouse News Service have…

Aug 10, 2017 4:00 PM CDT

No immediate ban on transgender people in the military, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman says

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says in a memo that there won’t be any immediate change in the policy regarding transgender people serving in the military.

Jul 27, 2017 10:55 AM CDT

Trump announces ban on transgender people in the military

Transgender people will not be allowed to serve in the military in any capacity, President Donald Trump announced Wednesday morning.

Jul 26, 2017 9:05 AM CDT

July 31, 1942: Putting the Enemy on Trial

In early July 1942, about seven months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and U.S. entry into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued two proclamations related to the handling of enemy saboteurs. The first, in effect, made these enemy combatants subject to military justice. The second set up a military commission to try those accused of attacks on any part of America’s vast industrial infrastructure.

Jul 1, 2017 12:35 AM CDT