Blog

Court Is Assembled: Military Justice’s New Blueprint

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:11:00 GMT

In April 2019, we announced what we consider a watershed moment in military justice. We directed the redesign of our military justice support around the world. We believe this will dramatically improve the delivery of legal advice, command support, and trial expertise. Our predicate for this decision was our Pilot Program and the recommendations of the Board of Directors. As we enter the implementation phase, we want to highlight our expectations of you.

News & Notes: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the MJA of 1968

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:07:00 GMT

On 3 August 2019, The Judge Advocate General (TJAG), Lieutenant General (LTG) Charles N. Pede, co-hosted, along with the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the service TJAGs, and the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, a dinner commemorating the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Military Justice Act of 1968. What follows is an excerpt from LTG Pede’s remarks.

RAJA Visits Vegas

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:06:00 GMT

When your Army career is over and the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps is a fond memory, what do you miss the most? Ask your former judge advocate friends that question, and you will hear many different answers. Some will tell you they miss serving our country, some miss meaningful military missions, some miss the varied legal work, and some long for travel and adventure. But almost everyone will tell you, “the people.” Most will say what they miss most are Soldiers and their Families, and the special bonds and good times forged by common experiences and challenging situations.

49th Staff Judge Advocate Course Wrap-Up

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:03:00 GMT

Leadership and taking care of your people—those were the two consistent themes permeating the 49th Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) Course held at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS) in June. The content of each day of the week-long course focused on a specific developmental area for rising SJAs and Deputy Staff Judge Advocates (DSJAs). This article provides highlights from the week.

Lore of the Corps: Two Lieutenants and an Angry Russian Bear

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 18:01:00 GMT

A version of this article was first published in the Spring 2011 issue of Prologue—the magazine of the National Archives.

Life Hack: The Blended Retirement System

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 20:48:00 GMT

Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1.

—Warren Buffett

WRITECOM: Next-Level PowerPoint Presentations

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 20:40:00 GMT

It has been said that human beings innately fear two things—snakes and speaking in public. I am not sure whether that is true or not, but it certainly feels true. The dry mouth, the rush of adrenaline—it happens to even the very best of speakers. Nonetheless, a sure way to calm those public speaking nerves is to show up prepared and practiced.

Practice Notes: Flagging Soldiers

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:36:00 GMT

The hypothetical conversation no Brigade Judge Advocate (BJA) wants to have with their Brigade Commander after a Commanding General (CG) meeting:

Creek on a Leash: A Primer on the Clean Water Act’s Section 404

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:32:00 GMT

You are the Chief of Administrative Law at Fort Blackacre, an expansive installation located thirty miles from the Mississippi River. In recent years Fort Blackacre has undergone a series of major construction projects in an effort to modernize the installation and restore it as one of the preeminent military training sites in the United States. Although you are new to the installation, you are aware of the modernization initiatives and look forward to making your own contributions to its success.

Assisting Legal Assistance Clients with Digital Estates

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:28:00 GMT

The failure to include one’s digital footprint in an estate plan renders the plan incomplete.¹—Sandi S. Varnado

A Roadmap for Leaders of SVCs

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:23:00 GMT

Like many special victims’ counsel (SVC), the authors of this article work under the supervision of officers and leaders who served as trial counsel or defense counsel before the Army established the SVC program. The intent of this article is to provide supervisors with insight into the day-to-day issues SVCs face, what a typical SVC’s practice looks like, and other considerations that may affect staffing or assignments.¹

Mitigating Secondary Stress in Military Justice

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 18:57:00 GMT

Military justice (MJ) practitioners¹ continuously immerse themselves in often the most traumatic moments of other people’s lives. Whether prosecuting a sexual assault, or any other crime of violence, defending someone accused of it, or representing a victim, to do their job, and certainly to do it the right way, MJ practitioners delve into and revisit trauma, at length and in detail, virtually every day.

No. 1: Abu Ghraib Trials, 15 Years Later

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 18:24:00 GMT

Fifteen years ago, a set of photos shocked the national conscience. Vivid images of prisoner and detainee abuse in Iraq brought war into American homes in a way that had not been felt since the Vietnam era. The images showed Soldiers “graphically mistreating and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners.

No. 2: Prosecuting Human Trafficking

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 18:08:00 GMT

In August 2013, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Raymond Valas was an Army War College Fellow attending Syracuse University.¹ Lieutenant Colonel Valas was a member of the New Hampshire National Guard at the time, and he had recently served as the commander of an exercise in El Salvador from April to June 2013.²

No. 3: Truth or Dare?

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 17:17:00 GMT

Captain (CPT) John Smith, a special victims’ counsel (SVC) at Fort Bliss, meets his new client an hour before her scheduled interview with the Criminal Investigative Division (CID). The day before, his client made an unrestricted report1 of sexual assault against an active duty Soldier, and she decided to seek SVC representation.

No. 4: Voir Dire in a Time of “Me Too”

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 15:34:00 GMT

Due process as a cultural matter is influenced by legal ideas but it is really a cluster of fluid notions that arise when people in different social and political contexts react to what they perceive as unfairness, abuse, and oppression.¹

Closing Argument: Promoting Inclusion at JAG Corps Events

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:47:00 GMT

In late June, the halls and classrooms of our Corps’ home at The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia, filled with 132 soon-to-be Staff Judge Advocates (SJAs) and Deputy SJAs (DSJAs). But they were not the only future leaders in town.