Military Law

‘Virtual Immunity’ for Private Guards in Iraq

Private contractors who provide security in Iraq “operate with virtual immunity from Iraqi and American law,” the New York Times reports. Congress directed the Defense Department last year to develop rules that would put military contractors under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, but it has not yet complied, the…

Sep 20, 2007 4:30 PM CDT

Religion Statute May Allow Gitmo Claims

Four former Guantanamo Bay military prison detainees who claim American officials abused them there haven’t had any luck trying to sue the U.S. government over alleged constitutional rights violations. But redress may be possible under a 1993 statute that says the government must have a compelling reason for infringing on…

Sep 17, 2007 3:48 PM CDT

US to Lawyers: Explain Suspect Skivvies

The U.S. military is investigating how several prisoners at Guantanamo Bay came to be wearing unauthorized underwear, and among those it is questioning are their attorneys. A letter sent last month by the Office of the Navy Judge Advocate General to a lawyer with Reprieve, a British human rights group…

Sep 15, 2007 1:23 AM CDT

A Uniform Complaint

Former military lawyers recount their fight to define justice for enemy combatants

Sep 1, 2007 5:45 AM CDT

Haditha Squad Leader in Court Today

A squad leader who led a 2005 assault on several houses in Haditha, Iraq, appears before a military hearing officer today to determine whether he should be tried for murder. Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich is accused of killing 18 people in the attacks, the most serious charges against any U.S.…

Aug 30, 2007 1:29 PM CDT

No Jail for Abu Ghraib Officer

An Army officer tried in connection with interrogation abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison will not spend any time in jail. Army Lt. Col. Steven Jordan received a reprimand from a military jury for disobeying an officer’s order not to discuss the investigation, the Washington Post reports. It is one…

Aug 29, 2007 4:09 PM CDT

Officer Acquitted of Most Abu Ghraib Charges

The only officer to face court martial for detainee abuse at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison was acquitted today of charges involving treatment of detainees and supervision of soldiers who conducted interrogations. Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan was found guilty of failing to obey an order not to talk about the…

Aug 28, 2007 4:45 PM CDT

Haditha Actions Due to Training, Report Says

Charges should be dropped against a Marine accused of murdering civilians in Haditha, Iraq, according to an investigating officer. The officer’s report concluded that Lance Cpl. Stephen B. Tatum was following orders to attack civilian homes and fired his gun only because another Marine was already shooting, the Washington Post…

Aug 24, 2007 6:42 PM CDT

Abu Ghraib Prosecution Falters

Several prosecution witnesses gave testimony favoring the defense during the court-martial this week of an Army officer accused of abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. “The more prosecutors and prosecution witnesses speak in the trial of Army Lt. Col. Steven Jordan at Fort Meade this week, the better Jordan’s defense looks,”…

Aug 23, 2007 3:19 PM CDT

Two Abu Ghraib Charges Dropped

Military prosecutors have dropped two charges against an Army officer who says he is a scapegoat for the military’s abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. Investigators determined that Lt. Col. Steven Jordan was not read his rights before giving detailed statements, the Washington Post reports. As a result, charges that…

Aug 21, 2007 6:27 PM CDT

Marine Lawyer Cleared in Haditha Case

All charges have been dropped against a U.S. Marine lawyer who was accused of dereliction of duty for not conducting a more aggressive investigation of the deaths of 24 civilians at Haditha, Iraq in 2005. Capt. Randy Stone, who served as battalion lawyer, will not be charged, based on a…

Aug 9, 2007 6:58 PM CDT

‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy Questioned

Although there hasn’t been any express change in the controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy concerning gays and lesbians serving in the U.S. military, changing societal attitudes may be promoting at least a subtle shift in the way it is applied. A firestorm of criticism following a recent comment by…

Aug 9, 2007 3:43 PM CDT

ABA May Criticize Bush’s CIA Exec Order

A human rights lawyer is trumpeting a possible ABA resolution declaring that a July 20, 2007 executive order by President George W. Bush concerning the interrogation of U.S. prisoners is inconsistent with the Geneva Conventions. The proposed resolution, which is scheduled to be debated and voted on by the ABA…

Aug 8, 2007 10:17 PM CDT

Red Cross: U.S. Tortured Prisoners

American intelligence agents tortured terrorist suspects captured after Sept. 11 in secret foreign prisons for years, suspending the practice only after the U.S. Supreme Court declared it illegal in a ruling last summer, according to a magazine article that appears on newsstands today. In doing so, the Central Intelligence Agency…

Aug 6, 2007 7:58 PM CDT

Marine Gets 15 Years in Iraq Murder

The claimed ringleader in an alleged conspiracy by eight U.S. soldiers to drag a civilian grandfather from his home in Iraq last year and murder him has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for the killing. Marine Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, 23, would have received a mandatory life…

Aug 3, 2007 9:58 PM CDT