Blown Deadline Doesn’t Necessarily Bar Veteran’s Appeal, Supreme Court Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court says the family of a Korean War veteran with paranoid schizophrenia may be entitled to appeal a denial of supplemental disability benefits even though he missed the filing deadline. Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) for the court finding that the blown…

Mar 1, 2011 5:22 PM CST

Supreme Court Holds Employer Can Be Liable for Firing Spurred by Biased Supervisor

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with an Army reservist who claims he was fired from his hospital job because of a biased supervisor who intended to influence the decision to let him go. The Supreme Court ruled 8-0 for Vincent Staub, a hospital technician in Peoria, Ill., who alleged…

Mar 1, 2011 4:11 PM CST

A Court and Army Officer: Retired General William Suter Salutes His 20th Year as Clerk

Mar 1, 2011 9:59 AM CST

Report Shows Fort Hood Massacre Could Have Been Prevented By FBI and Army, Senator Says

A November 2009 massacre at the U.S. Army’s Fort Hood military base in Texas “could have and should have been prevented” by the Army and the FBI, said Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) at a news conference today about a Senate committee’s new investigatory report on the tragedy. According the report…

Feb 3, 2011 9:25 PM CST

Judge Tosses Suit Seeking to Prevent Targeted Killing of Cleric Who Urged Jihad

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the government’s targeted killing of a Muslim cleric believed to be hiding in Yemen. U.S. District Judge John Bates said the suit, brought by the father of Anwar al-Awlaki, the targeted cleric, cannot go forward because the…

Dec 7, 2010 5:24 PM CST

Breyer: Would Court-Eating Dog Excuse Late Deadline?

In oral arguments on Monday, Justice Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg explored ways to allow the wife of a schizophrenic veteran who missed a filing deadline to pursue his appeal for additional disability benefits. Lawyers for David Henderson, who died shortly before the case was argued, claimed his…

Dec 7, 2010 4:39 PM CST

Supreme Court to Consider Impact of Blown Deadline by Schizophrenic Veteran

A Korean War veteran with paranoid schizophrenia died less than two months before oral arguments in his case before the U.S. Supreme Court, but today the justices will consider the legal issues anyway. The court will consider whether a blown deadline bars the disability benefits appeal by veteran David Henderson,…

Dec 6, 2010 11:30 AM CST

Veterans Outraged Over Decision Downplaying Influence of Purple Heart Lie

Veterans are outraged by a federal appeals court decision upholding a conviction for solicitation to commit murder, even though the chief prosecution witness falsely claimed on the witness stand that he had a Purple Heart. The witness, Elven Swisher, wore a replica of the medal as he testified and said…

Dec 2, 2010 12:00 PM CST

Long-Awaited Report Finds Little Risk in Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Military service members see little risk posed by the repeal of its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, according to a long-awaited Pentagon report. Seventy percent of 400,000 service members surveyed believe repeal of the policy would have little or no effect on their units, according to the Washington Post column…

Nov 30, 2010 5:24 PM CST

Detainee Acquitted in Civilian Court of All But One Charge in U.S. Embassy Bombings

In a blow to the Obama administration Wednesday, the first former Guantanamo Bay detainee to face civilian trial was found not guilty of all but one of 285 counts he faced for his role in the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. The verdict puts in doubt…

Nov 18, 2010 1:01 AM CST

‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy Remains in Force During Appeal of Ruling Striking It Down

The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to leave in place the American military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy concerning service members with a same-sex orientation, while an appeal of a lower court ruling striking the policy as unconstitutional is ongoing. The ruling was unanimous; however, Justice Elena Kagan didn’t…

Nov 12, 2010 8:48 PM CST

9th Circuit Keeps ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in Place Through Appeals

A federal appeals court has extended a stay that will keep don’t ask, don’t tell in place during the appeal of a lower court decision finding the policy unconstitutional. In a 2-1 decision, the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals extended a temporary stay issued last month, according…

Nov 2, 2010 11:52 AM CDT

Big Difference in Two Sentences for Al-Qaida Soldier Captured at 15

A Canadian youth who pleaded guilty in the grenade death of a U.S. soldier was sentenced Sunday to eight more years in custody. A military jury had recommended a 40-year sentence for Omar Khadr, who was captured in Afghanistan at the age of 15, according to the Associated Press and…

Nov 1, 2010 2:27 PM CDT

Omar Khadr, Captured in Afghanistan at Age 15, Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges

A Canadian youth captured in Afghanistan when he was 15 years old pleaded guilty today to terrorism charges in the death of a U.S. soldier. Omar Khadr, now 24, was accused of throwing a grenade that killed the soldier. In court today, he admitted he had received terrorist training from…

Oct 25, 2010 3:27 PM CDT

9th Circuit Grants DOJ’s Request for Stay of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

Late Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency request from the Justice Department for a stay that would allow the Pentagon to continue to enforce the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, which bans gays from openly serving in the military.…

Oct 21, 2010 6:54 PM CDT