February 2012 the journal of the judge advocates association
Transcription
February 2012 the journal of the judge advocates association
February 2012 the journal of the judge advocates association the journal of the judge advocates association February 2012 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world." - Margaret Mead This edition of The Judge Advocate focuses on service: your service to the country, your service to the JAG corps, your service to the Association, and your service to each other. We begin with the president‘s column and Admiral Joerg‘s vision of how he and the Board of Directors intend to serve, but also his call that you contribute your time and talents to serve your colleagues and your Association. The Judge Advocates Association is a Washington, D.C. chartered non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of judge advocates and practitioners of military law The Judge Advocates Association RADM Norton Joerg, JAGC, USNR (ret.) President BG Malinda Dunn, USA (ret.) President-Elect Col Carol Hattrup, USAF (ret.) Vice President Col James Russell, USAF (ret.) Secretary Brig Gen Edward Rodriguez, Jr., USAFR (ret.) Treasurer COL Marc Warren, USA (ret.) Immediate Past President MG John Altenburg, USA (ret.) ABA Delegate Lt Col Christopher Santoro, USAFR Executive Director Post Office Box 30380 Alexandria, VA 22310-8380 info@jaa.org (202) 318-9122 www.jaa.org Colonel Fred Borch‘s Judge Advocate History column highlights Colonel William Butler Remey, a Marine who was the first uniformed lawyer to serve as Judge Advocate General of the Navy and who, to date, is the only Marine to have held that position. A reprint from the 1945 edition of The Judge Advocate Journal showcases perhaps a more well-known historical figure but one whom many may not have realized was a judge advocate. Service to one‘s profession and colleagues is the heart of the mission of the American Inns of Court. This edition, we feature remarks made by retired Brigadier General David P. Carey, USA, a past Executive Director of the American Inns of Court. General Carey‘s eloquent comments should spur all of us to consider how we can best improve our own skills while mentoring those who will follow us. ―Mustangs‖ – officers who began their service as enlisted members – have a breadth and wealth of experience. Yet, as Alan Goldsmith shows us, their willingness to serve in the officer ranks may actually be a detriment in certain situations. Attorney Wojciech Kornacki, himself a former Army judge advocate, provides an overview of provisions in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that impact all who currently serve. Finally, the Second Army JAG Regimental Print reminds all of us that judge advocates throughout history have embodied the finest qualities of service. in this issue . . . MARCH Our Mission, Our Effort ..................................................... 4 RADM Norton Joerg, JAGC, USNR (ret.) 7-8 CAAF Judicial Conference 21 JAA Inn of Court First to Fight; First to Advise ............................................... 8 COL Fred Borch, USA (ret.) “Buffalo Bill,” Judge Advocate .......................................... 10 APRIL 13-14 Duke LENS Conference 18 JAA Inn of Court Judge Robert Rigsby ......................................................... 11 Zoe Tillman Robert G. Fuller, Jr. .......................................................... 13 RADM Donald V. Boecker MAY 15 JAA/JAF Awards Dinner * please note date change The Inns of Court .............................................................. 16 BG David P. Carey, USA (ret.) Falling Between the Cracks .............................................. 23 Alan E. Goldsmith, Esq. What’s New in 2012 ......................................................... 27 Wojciech Z. Kornacki, Esq. Timeless Values ................................................................ 30 LTC Jack Ohlweiler, USA Opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s current or former military service, the Department of Defense, or current employer unless otherwise indicated. All content is Copyright © the Judge Advocates Association unless otherwise indicated. For reprint requests, please contact the JAA at info@jaa.org. FROM THE PRESIDENT RADM Norton Joerg, JAGC, USNR (ret.) T he year 2012 is already well under way. In fact, it is breathtaking to contemplate just how fast it is moving along. With this in mind, I have a few thoughts -- points of emphasis, really -- to share about what I see as most important for our Association over the next few months. Strategic planning will take up a large portion of my time. I will shortly begin meetings with the Board of Directors' Strategic Planning Group. We will be focused on the following central issues, which I outlined in my interview in the last issue of this magazine: 1. Member solicitation and member recruitment challenges. 2. An examination and improvement of our service offerings and value proposition for members -- all members, across lines of seniority, specialty or practice area, and location. 3. How to better engage the energies, talents and knowledge of our members and constituents, potential and actual, to meet the mission and add value. Please think about these central questions, and provide your thoughts directly to me, to any Board member, or to our Executive Director either via e-mail to execdir@jaa.org or our online contact form. I am looking for both ideas and support. As we work through these questions, weighing solutions and proposing courses of action to implement them, I will report on our progress and the state of our thinking via this col4 the judge advocate umn, and will look for your input every time. In addition, as we move toward implementation of any idea on any front, I will be asking for volunteers to support our efforts. One initiative in particular that came out of our strategic thinking process is now up and running: this magazine. This magazine is a perfect example of a strategic effort that addresses the central issues that I list above. It is also an effort that requires broad support from our members, as well as the support of a few dedicated individuals who would enjoy helping us produce an issue each month. We need writers of articles, suppliers of ideas for future material or themes, and an editor or two. The magazine represents an opportunity for virtually every member to contribute and an opportunity for a few to have a direct impact on the Association's growth and effectiveness. We are already seeing the potential, raising our profile and voice for the benefit of our members and mission. We want to be sure that our early momentum continues, and need your help for that potential to be realized. If you are interested in assisting with the magazine in any of these capacities, please let us know, and become part of our resurgence and growth. I look forward to keeping you posted on our progress in this and with respect other initiatives that we will pursue in the months ahead. Please return regularly for my updates, and please step up as your time and interests allow, for there will be much good work to do. All the best! February 2012 FROM THE PRESIDENT February 2012 the judge advocate 5 Spring Conference April 13th and 14th, 2012 Theme: After Afghanistan: Where To From Here? Examining the state – and future – of national security law-related issues in the era beyond active battlefields, yet one with persisting threats of technology-empowered terrorists, and one with rising peer-competitors. Friday, April 13, 2012 7:30 a.m. Registration & Coffee 8:30 a.m. Opening Remarks: Professor Charles Dunlap, LENS Executive Director 8:45 a.m. Panel 1: International Human Rights Law: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Professor Joseph Blocher, Duke Law School Professor Madeline Morris, Duke Law School Mr. Andrew Woods, Harvard Law School Professor Saira Mohamed, UC Berkeley Law School 10:15 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Panel 2: Countering Violent Homegrown Extremism: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Professor David Schanzer, Duke University Professor Margaret Hu, Duke Law School Professor Deborah Ramirez, Northeastern Law School Professor Sahar F. Aziz, Texas Wesleyan School of Law 12:00 p.m. Break (pick up box lunches) 12:30 p.m. Luncheon presentation Host: Professor Charles Dunlap, LENS Executive Director Speaker: Dr. Mac Owens, Professor of National Security Affairs, Naval War College 1:15 p.m. Break 1:30 p.m. Panel 3: National Security Judicial Deference: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Dean David Levi, Duke Law School Professor Neil Siegel, Duke Law School Professor Nathan Sales, George Mason Law School Professor Deborah Pearlstein, Cardozo Law School 3:00 p.m. Break Conference information: http://www.law.duke.edu/lens/conferences/2012/program 3:15 p.m. Panel 4: International Military Operations: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Professor Charles Dunlap, LENS Executive Director Col (S) Rob Preston, USAF, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC Maj Steve Strickey, Canadian Forces Sqn Ldr Joanne Swainston, Royal Air Force CDR Hugh Cameron, Australian Navy 4:45 p.m. Break 6:15 p.m. Reception 7:00 p.m. Dinner Host: Professor Charles Dunlap Speaker: General Michael V. Hayden, USAF (Ret.), former director of the CIA Saturday, April 14, 2012 8:00 a.m. Registration & Coffee 8:30 a.m. Panel 1: International Law of Armed Conflict: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Professor Bill Banks, Syracuse Law School VADM James W. Houck, USN, JAGC Mr. Dick Jackson, Department of the Army Professor Laurie Blank, Emory Law School 10:00 a.m. Break 10:15 a.m. Panel 2: The Intersection of National Security Law Issues and International Business Enterprises: Lessons Learned and Challenges for the Future Moderator: Professor Julie Maupin, Duke Law School Mr. Craig Silliman, Verizon Mr. Phil Carter, Caerus Associates LLC Mr. Ted Kassinger, O’Melveny & Myers 11:45 a.m. Break (pick up box lunches) 12:15 p.m. Luncheon presentation Host: Professor Scott Silliman, LENS Director Emeritus Speaker: Mr. Will Gunn, General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs 1:00 p.m. Break 1:15 p.m. Ethical Issues of the Practice of National Security Law Professor Charles Dunlap, LENS Executive Director 2:15 – 2:30 p.m. Closing Remarks Conference information: http://www.law.duke.edu/lens/conferences/2012/program JUDGE ADVOCATE HISTORY COL Fred L. Borch, USA (ret.) Marine colonel was first Judge Advocate General of the Navy A Fred L. Borch III (Colonel, USA, retired) is the Regimental Historian and Archivist for the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps. s strange as it may seem, the first uniformed Judge Advocate General of the Navy was a Marine colonel. When Congress authorized a ―Judge Advocate General‖ (JAG) for the Army in July 1862, it provided that this position would have the rank and pay of a colonel. But, when Congress created the office of ―Solicitor and Naval Judge Advocate General‖ in 1865, the job was filled by a civilian lawyer who earned a yearly salary of $3,500. Ultimately, this position disappeared in 1870, when Congress abolished it. In July 1878, Secretary of the Navy Richard W. Thompson ―administratively created‖ the position of ―acting Judge Advocate.‖ As Jay M. Siegel explains in his authoritative Origins of the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Thompson‘s idea was to appoint a uniformed lawyer as acting Judge Advocate and task that individual with providing legal advice on ―all matters submitted to the Secretary of the Navy involving questions of law or regulations.‖ This acting Judge Advocate was also made responsible for reviewing records of summary and general courts-martial, and making recommendations on their disposition to the Secretary of the Navy. To fill this new position of acting Judge Ad- 8 the judge advocate vocate, Secretary Thompson selected 36-year old William Butler Remey, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. This was a logical choice, in that Marine Corps officers in the Navy of the 1870s ―handled the lion‘s share of courtmartial prosecutorial duties‖ and consequently were far more experienced than their naval counterparts in court-martial procedure. Born in 1842, Remey was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1861 at the age of 19. He almost certainly tried enlisted sailors and Marines at courts-martial during the Civil War and, after hostilities ended, prosecuted courts -martial at California‘s Mare Island Naval Shipyard and at the Washington Navy Yard. Lieutenant Remey so impressed his superiors he was appointed acting Judge Advocate of the Marine Corps in 1870 and, after a tour of duty in the USS Colorado, was made Judge Advocate of the Marine Corps in 1875. After assuming duties as the Navy‘s acting Judge Advocate in 1878, Captain Remey focused exclusively on disciplinary questions. He reviewed the records of courts of inquiry and courts-martial for evidentiary, jurisdictional, and procedural errors. (Other legal issues—involving contracts, claims, personnel, real estate, admiralty—were handled by the U.S. Attorney General.) (Continued on page 9) February 2012 JUDGE ADVOCATE HISTORY (Continued from page 8) Remey worked hard in his new duty assignment and apparently made valuable political and social connections in the Washington, D.C. establishment. According to his nephew, ―Uncle Will … was very popular socially … He drove a snappy one horse high trap in the late afternoons and was quite a figure about town.‖ This social prominence no doubt helped when Remey lobbied for his temporary position to be made permanent, on the theory that naval law was so now so complex that it required a uniformed officer—familiar with sea service customs and culture—to oversee naval discipline. Congress agreed with Remey (and the Secretary of the Navy) and, on June 8, 1880, enacted legislation authorizing the president ―to appoint, for the term of four years … from the officers of the Navy or the Marine Corps, a judge-advocate-general of the Navy, with the rank, pay and allowances of a captain in the Navy or colonel in the Marine Corps, as the case may be.‖ The next day, on June 9, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Remey to be the first uniformed Judge Advocate General of the Navy and, after the Senate confirmed this appointment, now Colonel Remey (he exchanged his captain‘s bars for colonel‘s eagles) began what would be a twelve year assignment. Between 1880 and 1892, when Colonel Remey retired from active duty, he received and examined all records involving courts-martial, courts of inquiry, and ―boards for the examination of officers for retirement and promotion in the naval service.‖ He also investigated complaints by his fellow officers of alleged violations of naval regulations; these complaints were typically accompanied by a request from the complainer that the Secretary of the Navy convene a general court-martial to try the offender. Colonel Remey also reviewed pay and promotion questions, retirement and other personnel matters. He examined claims from civilians who wanted to be paid for work or travel they had done for the Navy, or who wanted to be reimbursed for damage to their property caused by the Navy. For example, a Navy lieutenant commander filed a claim asking to be reimbursed for his clothing and bedding, both of which had been destroyed to prevent the spread of yellow feFebruary 2012 ver; Remey recommended that the Navy pay the claim. Remey offered legal advice on a breach of contract question and also provided legal analysis on a patent infringement claim. It seems that he was will- Colonel William Butler Remey was the first ing—and able—to Judge Advocate General of the Navy. He served from 1880 to 1892. (U.S. Marine answer even those Corps photo.) inquiries that more properly should go to the U.S. Attorney General. When the commanding officer of the naval station located at Beaufort, South Carolina, asked the Secretary of the Navy if state civil authorities had the legal authority to board a naval vessel and arrest and take from the ship a sailor wanted for a crime, Remey drafted the telegram that replied: ―In the case cited in your letter … they have. See Statutes South Carolina.‖ But not all of Remey‘s legal issues were mighty: the Secretary tasked Remey with determining whether a midshipman third rate was entitled to his choice of bunks on the starboard side of starboard steerage quarters because of his seniority. In early 1891, Remey fell ill. His doctors prescribed rest, and so Remey left Washington and spent the summer in the mountains of Maryland. He returned to work in the fall but, in early 1892, began showing signs of mental illness. He subsequently had a complete physical and mental breakdown. Not surprisingly, when his third four-year term as Navy Judge Advocate General ended in June 1892, Remey voluntarily retired from active duty. He died of pneumonia less than three years later, in January 1895, in a sanatorium in Massachusetts. Colonel Remey‘s place in naval legal history remains unique: the first uniformed lawyer to serve as Navy Judge Advocate General and also—at least to date—the only Marine to serve as the top uniformed lawyer in the Navy. the judge advocate 9 JUDGE ADVOCATE HISTORY “Buffalo Bill,” Judge Advocate Reprinted from The Judge Advocate Journal, Vol II, No 1 (March 1945) 10 the judge advocate February 2012 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Zoe Tillman Call of duty: Robert Rigsby’s service stretches from Iraq to D.C.’s toughest wards Excerpts of this article are reprinted with permission from the February 27, 2012 edition of The National Law Journal, © 2012 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved.Further duplication without permission is prohibited. H e may have been smiling, but District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Rigsby barked his commands like a drill sergeant at a group of high school-age students. Rigsby leads the unit at a time of transition for the military as a whole. It's unclear what the drawdown of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan might mean for the military's trial judiciary, he said, but it will be up to him to make sure his team adapts. Fix that tie. Take care of that belt. Stand up and speak out. His voice grew louder as the students, in his courtroom earlier this month for a law camp, repeated the program's credo after him: "Manhood. Womanhood. Scholarship. Uplift. Perseverance." Juggling what are essentially two full-time jobs isn't easy, Rigsby said. Outside of his duties as a presiding judge in Superior Court's juvenile division, Rigsby spends many nights and weekends at the unit's headquarters in Alexandria, Va., or visiting other military bases. Before he took command, he served a six-month deployment overseas in 2009, presiding over courts-martial in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. After 30-plus years in military service, the line between Rigsby's civilian and military lives is often fluid. High school students aren't the only ones to see it; attorneys and former colleagues describe his "commanding" presence and his desire for discipline. Rigsby holds a unique place among D.C. judges. This year marks his 10th anniversary as both a Superior Court judge and his ninth as a military judge in the U.S. Army Reserve's 150th Legal Support Organization Judge Advocate General Detachment. Since September 2010, Rigsby has served as his unit's commander, managing more than two dozen Army Reserve military judges who preside over courts-martial and investigations around the world. Getting started Rigsby's legal career began with an arrest: He and his brother were caught stealing candy bars when he was 9 years old. He said his first brush with the law sparked an interest in the justice system, but there were no black lawyers to look up to in his hometown of Vallejo, Calif. Within three weeks of arriving at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, as a newly minted Army JAG Corps officer in 1987, Rigsby said he was trying his first case. He started his career (Continued on page 12) February 2012 the judge advocate 11 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS (Continued from page 11) prosecuting low-level misdemeanors — shoplifting and speeding tickets — but his work later included advising combat commanders overseas and prosecuting serious felonies. Rigsby settled in Washington in 1991 after meeting his wife, District of Columbia Court of Appeals Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, then an attorney at Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells). He left active duty in 1992, but joined the Army Reserve as a senior lawyer for a military police brigade in Gaithersburg, Md. That same year, he joined the Office of Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, now the Office of the Attorney General. He served as the city's corporation counsel from 2000 until 2002, when he was nominated to the Superior Court bench. 'No nonsense' After joining Superior Court in 2002, Rigsby shifted his Army Reserve service to the other side of the courtroom, becoming a military judge with the 150th detachment. Until recently, Rigsby presided over the East of the River Community Court, a program that assigned most misdemeanor crimes from the historically high-crime wards 7 and 8 to a single judge. Rollins said he and Rigsby didn't always agree — Rigsby took a tougher tack on treatment options for drug users than Rollins wanted, for instance — but Rollins said he respected his approach. "I think he got respect from the community…because he connected with people," Rollins said. "He came from very humble beginnings and he tells you of those humble beginnings." Rigsby said he recognizes that his military background can shape his approach to Superior Court cases. Enforcing discipline is especially important in the juvenile division, he said, because "if I don't do that…then we've lost them." He added later, "Is it militaristic? Maybe. I don't run from that." 12 the judge advocate In 2009, Rigsby became the first sitting judge to take an active duty, permanent deployment to a theater of war. He lived in Kuwait for six months, traveling between his home base and Iraq and Afghanistan to preside over cases. Shortly after he came home from his 2009 deployment, Rigsby was suddenly struck with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder that left him paralyzed for a month and a half. The cause is unknown, although he said there was speculation that he may have contracted it overseas. He kept working as he went through painful physical therapy. "Even walking to my courtroom took time," he said. "By the time I got there, I was exhausted." Drawdown concerns Rigsby said he still struggles with residual pain, but was back in fighting form by the time he took command of his unit in September 2010. Rigsby is unabashedly patriotic, often mentioning how proud he is "of all our kids in uniform," but said he does not treat soldiers on trial any differently from civilian defendants. He said his approach is the same in both courts: "You treat everybody with dignity and respect." As troops leave Iraq and Afghanistan, Rigsby said he's not sure whether the drawdown will affect his unit, but he expects there will be greater need for legal support on the civil side, as new veterans try to understand their rights and benefits. "A whole lot of lawyers need to get up to speed," he said. Maj. Gen. Clyde "Butch" Tate II, the deputy judge advocate general of the Army, agreed that there's no way to predict what the drawdown might mean for the trial judiciary in terms of caseload or deployment needs. "We're all going to be faced with managing the change the Army will be going through in the next four or five years," he said. "We're expecting all of the leaders to…get comfortable with change," Tate said. "I don't worry about [Rigsby] figuring it out. Otherwise, we wouldn't have put him in the job." February 2012 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS Interviewed by RADM Donald V. Boecker Retired Navy judge advocate authors Unnatural Deaths, a crime novel set in Maine Donald V. Boecker (Rear Admiral, USN, retired), a former naval aviator, served as a test pilot, weapons system project officer, instructor pilot, executive officer, commanding officer of a VA85 attack squadron, and commanding officer of the USS Concord (AFS 5). As a flag officer, he served as the Director, Navy Space Systems Division, Commander of the Naval Air Test Center, and Vice Commander of Naval Air Systems Command. Bob Fuller, a retired JAGC captain, is the author of Unnatural Deaths, a police procedure novel set in Maine where Fuller practiced for over thirty-five years. His fictional state police detective Martin Counihan is a former master-at-arms who served aboard the USS Forrestal (CV-59), a now-decommissioned aircraft carrier once based at Mayport, Florida. Retired RADM Donald Boecker interviewed CAPT Fuller for The Judge Advocate. What inspired you to write "Unnatural Deaths"? After leaving my law practice I found I had time to write. Crime novels have always been a particular passion. You've probably picked up a crime novel to read on an airplane, as have I. I thought I could write one as least as good as some of those I've consumed. I also wanted to draw on my experiences as a JAG officer to include some Navy references. Was the book based on any particular Maine crime, or on any combination of crimes that have occurred in the state in the past? No. The events and characters depicted in Unnatural Deaths are wholly the product of my imagination. February 2012 I was intrigued to read about the cultural, economic, and demographic observations (i.e., the population loss in rural Maine and loss of industrial jobs) included within the story. Was that derived from Maine's current situation? To some extent. The loss of Maine's manufacturing base has been an ongoing economic problem for some years. As to the cultural perspective, Maine authors have largely neglected to include FrancoAmerican characters and culture in their works. This has been a source of mystery to me as well as annoyance. Franco-Americans make up over fifteen percent of Maine's population. Their rise from a somewhat despised minority to full participation at the highest level in Maine's businesses and professions is a little-told success story. Moreover, they have done so without abandoning their language and culture. Maine's FrancoAmericans deserve as much attention by Maine's writers as lobstermen and game wardens. I intended to make that happen in my novel. The police chief and a trial lawyer are featured Franco-American characters. (Continued on page 14) the judge advocate 13 MEMBERS IN THE NEWS (Continued from page 13) What were some of the resources that proved most helpful to you in your research? Like Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' play ―A Streetcar Named Desire,‖ I was dependent on the kindness of strangers. Readers will readily recognize that the members of law enforcement agencies, including the Maine State Police and the FBI, were helpful. Some of my more exotic helpmates included the President of the Flint, Michigan Chamber of Commerce (Flint being the twin city of Togliatti, the Russian automobile manufacturing city where some of my Russian characters lived) and Vinny (last name omitted to protect the guilty), a former inmate of the Bergen County (NJ) Jail. "If you like the Godfather, Sopranos or any other organized crime family story, you need to read Unnatural Deaths. Fuller has craftily woven several stories into one with pure brilliance of creativity and his knowledge of law." Are you planning to write another book? You can expect Maine State Police detective Martin Counihan to re-appear in a year or so. I have a plot outlined in my mind and once again I just have to find the time to write. This time the story will be more of a mystery than a police procedure novel and will take place wholly within Maine. One of the reasons it took so long to write Unnatural Deaths was the number of international characters and locales. Making these authentic required an unbelievable amount of research. Thank you, Google. I found your Russian characters and their unusual names somewhat hard to follow. I was constantly flipping back and forth to keep them all straight in my mind. Understandable. I can only plead that Russian gangsters are today's emerging major criminal class, displacing the old Mafia types. Crime novel readers need to hear more about them and their methods of operation. They are computer-savvy, imaginative and utterly ruthless. Slavic villains and their names will soon become as familiar to readers as they are now to urban police forces. — The Rumford Falls (Maine) Times Did you ever get "writer's block" at any point, where you just couldn't think of what to write? Not very often. When I was constructing the ending, I had some anxious moments in putting it all together. My main problems were working out my time lines and the flashbacks. 14 the judge advocate Unnatural Deaths is available at amazon.com and other on-line book stores as well as at local independent book stores. February 2012 February 2012 the judge advocate 15 PROFESSIONALISM BG David P. Carey, USA (ret.) From the UK to the USA: The American Inns of Court, Professionalism, and the Rule of Law David P. Carey (Brigadier General, USA, retired) served as Executive Director of the American Inns of Court from 2005-2010. The following remarks were made by Brigadier General David P. Carey, then-Executive Director of the American Inns of Court, to the Judge John M. Manos AIC on October 19, 2009. For more information on the JAA Inn of Court please see the sidebar within this article. J ustice Sandra Day O‘Connor once observed, ―Professionalism entails obligations: obligations toward other attorneys, obligations toward legal institutions, and obligations to the members of the public whose interests we serve.‖ Nevertheless, as Justice O‘Connor continued, ―All too often, lawyers seem today to believe that there is no room for those who believe that practicing law carries with it such responsibilities.‖ She concluded that the American Inns of Court ―has a crucial role to play in eradicating such views.‖ For nearly 29 years now, the American Inns of Court has played a steadily evolving role in reversing the decline of professionalism within the bench and bar in the United States. Together with other organizations that focus on professionalism, the American Inns of Court has made a difference, if for no other reason than because it has generated much needed discussion and debate on the subjects of fostering civility, promoting professionalism, and improving legal skills. In fact, the 16 the judge advocate singular, nonpartisan mission of the American Inns of Court is to foster excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills. This article describes how the American Inns of Court operates, how it has grown so quickly in number and popularity, and how it might continue to improve the quality of the legal practice throughout the United States and, thus, shore up our notion of the Rule of Law. The Concept The American Inns of Court is an association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals from all levels and backgrounds who share a passion for professional excellence. It is not a fraternal order, a social club, a course in continuing legal education, a lecture series, an apprenticeship system, or an adjunct of a law school‘s program. While many of these concepts may be present to some degree, the American Inns of Court is quite different in aim, scope, and effect. To help lawyers and judges rise to higher levels of excellence, professionalism, and ethical awareness, the American Inns of Court adopted the traditional English model of legal apprenticeship and modified it to fit the particular needs of the American legal system. Through the time-honored English tradition (Continued on page 17) February 2012 PROFESSIONALISM (Continued from page 16) and practice of ―pupillage‖—the sharing of wisdom, insight and experience of seasoned judges and lawyers with newer practitioners, American Inns of Court helps lawyers to become more effective advocates and counselors with a keener ethical awareness. Of course, while many Inns have adopted the ―pupilage‖ system, many Inns, such as Judge John M. Manos Inn, have developed their own successful practice for transmitting the values of the American Inns of Court. Whatever the practice, the Inns of Court has gained a national and international reputation as an organization that bridges the gap between formal law school education and legal practice by offering career-long continuing education in the Common Law tradition. Membership is normally composed of the following categories: Masters of the Bench—judges, experienced lawyers, and law professors; Barristers— lawyers with some experience who do not meet the minimum requirements for Masters; Associates— lawyers who do not meet the minimum requirement for Barristers; and Pupils—law students. For some Inns, such strict categorization does not work. Some Inns have large ―Master‖ and ―Barrister‖ populations and small ―associate‖ or even no ―pupil‖ members. The basic building block of an American Inn of Court is the ―pupillage team,‖ consisting of a few members from each membership category. Each pupillage team conducts one program for the Inn each year. Pupillage team members may also meet informally outside of monthly Inn meetings. Other Inns that do not follow the pupilage system conduct meetings centered around speakers, seminars, or other events that foster the free exchange of information about ethics and legal skills. Through regular meetings, members build and strengthen professional relationships; discuss fundamental concerns about professionalism and pressing February 2012 legal issues of the day; share experiences and advice; exhort the utmost passion and dedication for the law; provide mentoring opportunities; and advance the highest levels of integrity, ethics and civility. In this collegial environment, outside the courtroom and pressure of daily practice, members discuss legal practice, principles and methods. Academicians, specialized practitioners and complementing generalists provide a mix of skill, theory, experience and passion. This fluid, side-by-side approach allows seasoned judges and attorneys to help shape students and newer lawyers with practical guidance in how to best serve the law and seek justice. This grass roots movement has blossomed into a structure of more than 350 affiliated, yet autonomous Inns. A large number of Inns concentrate on issues surrounding civil and criminal litigation practice, and include attorneys from a number of specialties. However, there are several Inns that specialize in criminal practice, federal litigation, tax law, administrative law, white-collar crime, bankruptcy, intellectual property, family law, em(Continued on page 18) the judge advocate 17 PROFESSIONALISM (Continued from page 17) ployment and labor law, and even transactional law. History of the American Inns of Court In the 1960s, years before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Warren Burger envisioned an American organization that would help lawyers improve their advocacy skills while emphasizing the importance of professional demeanor, integrity and ethics. He was no stranger to the history, goals, operation and impact of the English Inns of Court, and saw enormous benefits to be realized by a similar close, ongoing linkage between members of the American judiciary, practitioners and law students. In 1977, now Chief Justice Warren Burger and other American lawyers and judges spent two weeks in England as part the Anglo-American Exchange. The members of the program were particularly impressed with the collegial approach of the English Inns of Court and with the way in which they passed on to new lawyers the decorum, civility, skills and professional standards necessary for a cooperatively functioning bench and bar. Soon after his return to the United States, the Chief Justice initiated a pilot program, an adaptation of the English Inns system, but geared to the realities of law practice in the United States. Working with Chief Justice Burger, former Solicitor General Rex Lee, and U.S. District Judge A. Sherman Christensen founded the first American Inn of Court in 1980. The Inn was affiliated with the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and consisted of 44 member judges, lawyers, professors and law students. Word of the new training model spread across the country, and soon new Inns began to appear, and the grassroots ―Inns of Court movement‖ began to grow. In 1985 the American Inns of Court Foundation was chartered in Washington, D.C., as a non-profit, tax18 the judge advocate exempt corporation. The Foundation would serve as the hub for communications among the Inns, answer inquiries from the growing number of judges, lawyers and law professors, and provide the Inns with support, services and programs that as small, local groups would be beyond their individual reach. The first Board of Trustees of the American Inns of Court was comprised mainly of the progenitors of the local Inns. That group gave great care to the growth and direction of the Inns. High on the list of priorities was adherence to the English Inns‘ successful model of mentoring by experienced senior members, a focus on training and development of practice skills for newer lawyers, and of course, the amicable association among all members, regardless of rank. This was the chord that was destined to resonate throughout the American legal community. “American Inns of Court helps lawyers to become more effective advocates and counselors with a keener ethical awareness.” As other legal associations concentrated on studying the perceived problem and developing rules in an attempt to combat the maladies of waning professional practice standards, the American Inns of Court drew upon the wisdom and experience of seasoned practitioners to mentor, educate and inspire in its members the aspiration to a more craftsman-like application of the art and practice of law in America. Keeping this focus, the American Inns of Court soon earned a reputation as a truly unique organization. Recent History As early as 1983, the American Inns of Court concept was gaining widespread attention from many of the nation‘s prominent legal institutions. An ad hoc com(Continued on page 19) February 2012 PROFESSIONALISM (Continued from page 18) mittee, established by the Judicial Conference of the United States to study the goals and methods of American Inns, concluded that ―the American Inns of Court have demonstrated the potential for supplying a significant new dimension to legal training‖, and that ―the official duties of judges are consistent with participation in an American Inn of Court.‖ It was to be the first formal recognition of the potential of the Inns of Court movement. In subsequent years, similar endorsements were passed by such respected groups as the Conference of Chief Justices, the Seventh Circuit‘s Committee on Civility and the American Bar Association‘s Judicial Administration Division. In 1988, the American Inns of Court received the ABA‘s prestigious E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award ―in recognition of outstanding achievement in the design and implementation of a model professionalism program.‖ Later that year, Chief Justice Burger and The Right Honourable The Lord Bridge of Harwich signed a Declaration of Friendship, a historic document on both sides of the Atlantic, fraternally linking the English and American Inns of Court. This linkage was to be of considerable benefit to the American Inns of Court and its members, by providing entrée for American Inn members visiting the London Inns, and helping to lay the groundwork for the Pegasus Scholarships and the Temple Bar Scholarships. These educational programs allow selected American lawyers to participate in valuable work-study programs in the courts, chambers and Inns of London, and allow English barristers to enjoy the same benefits in the United States. By 1990, 124 chapters were in operation nationwide, actively involving some 8,000 judges, lawyers, professors and students of law in improving the professional skills of the bench and bar through mentoring, discussion and educational programs. The unprecedented growth evidenced not only the recognized need to raise the standards of advocacy, but also the willingness of the nation‘s professionals to participate in the process. Holding true to its commitment to provide training for aspiring lawyers, the American Inns of Court launched the Law School Project in 1994 to add mentoring and practical training of the Inns to the formal education provided by the nation‘s law schools. When the Law School Project ended on June 30, 1997, 114 law schools had become affiliated with the American Inns of Court program. Beyond impressive numerical growth through the ‗90s and into the next century, the American Inns of Court experienced an increase in stature as a national organization. Highlighted by an increase in its international exchange programs as well as programs and cooperative projects with other local, regional and national organizations, the American Inns of Court secured its role as a vital force in shaping a culture of excellence in the practice of law. The JAA Inn of Court The Judge Advocates Association—through your membership dues and support—sponsors the Judge Advocates Association Inn of Court. The Inn meets monthly from fall through spring in the Washington, DC area. For over 18 years the JAA Inn of Court has fulfilled the Inn’s mission statement to promote legal excellence, civility, professionalism, and ethics among members of the military and national security law bar and bench. This season’s remaining sessions will occur on 21 March and 18 April. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us! For more information or to be included on the JAA Inn of Court mailing list, please contact the Inn president, LTC James Guelcher, at james.m.guelcher@us.army.mil or visit the Inn’s web site at http://www.innsofcourt.org/Inns/jaainn/ And if you’re not in the National Capital Region, you too will soon benefit from your Inn! We are exploring ways to make the 2012-2013 season and beyond available to our membership in a secure area of the JAA web site. Stay tuned for more information! (Continued on page 20) February 2012 the judge advocate 19 PROFESSIONALISM (Continued from page 19) Today Today, with more than 350 active Inns and more than 100,000 active and alumni members nationwide, the American Inns of Court is exploring exciting new and innovative ways to improve the civility, ethics, skills and professional dignity of the nation‘s bench and bar. Fueled by the passion and dedicated efforts of newer members and tempered by the wisdom and experience of its elders, the American Inns of Court continue to provide a collegial forum for study, discussion, inspiration and training for a growing number of legal professionals. Continuing to pursue a more active involvement with the entire legal profession, the American Inns of Court has greatly increased its cooperative involvement with other legal organizations. Through local, regional and national participation in various bar associations‘ meetings and events, valuable alliances have been forged to the mutual benefit of the groups involved. Inns across the nation have traditionally put forth special efforts during the Law Day celebration spearheaded by the American Bar Association. In keeping with its mission to foster professional excellence through mentoring, a key component is recognizing those judges and lawyers whose professional lives evidence civility, competence and ethical attitudes worthy of emulation. In addition to the prestigious A. Sherman Christensen Award and Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Award, and the Sandra Day O‘Connor Award presented annually at the Foundation‘s Celebration of Excellence at the United States Supreme Court, the American Inns of Court has been honored since 1996 to present Professionalism Awards in each participating federal circuit as a part of their annual judicial conferences. Also, the Warren E. Burger Prize is presented annually to the winner of a legal writing competition, designed to promote outstanding scholarship on the practical application of professionalism in the American legal community. 20 the judge advocate The Future A nexus clearly exists between lawyer behavior and the promotion and protection of the Rule of Law. Ethical breaches, incivility, discourteous treatment, disrespect toward judges, and failure to show concern for legal institutions undermine our system of laws. When lawyers forget their obligations to make the system work, the loser is the Rule of Law. Because of the relationship between professionalism and the American system of the Rule of Law, efforts of organizations like the American Inns of Court take on a special urgency. The American Inns of Court is committed to raise the bar of professionalism in the United States because of a strong belief that the Rule of Law depends upon an honorable legal profession to guarantee respect for our vital legal institutions. Professionalism, mentoring, and ethical behavior are essential to maintaining the Rule of Law because it is only through adherence to these high ideals that the American public will rightly believe in the importance of our commitment to justice. Society‘s need for a credible system of justice and reliance upon the Rule of Law are too important to neglect the need to nurture professionalism among members of the profession charged with its protection and preservation. While the reach of the American Inns of Court has expanded, the number of lawyers in the United States has likewise expanded to nearly one million. Leaders of the American Inns of Court movement firmly believe the more lawyers are connected to the Inns movement, the more effectively its mission and values will spread to positively influence all members of the profession. The resurgence of professionalism must be a nationwide phenomenon. It is not enough that there are ―pockets of professionalism‖ scattered throughout our national legal landscape. Growth of professionalism movements like the American Inns of Court is vital to the future of the legal profession. Restored professionalism must precede and strengthen the practice of law. We reclaim our noble profession with small, meaningful steps. If enough motivated lawyers band together to elevate the level of professionalism in this country, those steps might well beget giant strides. The Rule of Law itself may well depend upon our progress. February 2012 2012 JUDICIAL CONFERENCE AND CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAM U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Wednesday, March 7, 2012 7:30 a.m. Registration 7:55 a.m. Welcoming Remarks Honorable James E. Baker Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces 8:00 a.m. Bruce C. Swartz, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice 9:00 a.m. Break 9:15 a.m. Practical Experience in an Ad Hoc International Criminal Tribunal Stephen M. Sayers, Partner, Hunton & Williams 10:15 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Inventing Democratic Courts Professor Judith Resnik, Arthur Liman Professor of Law, Yale Law School; and Professor Dennis E. Curtis, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Law and Professorial Lecturer in Law, Yale Law School, co-authors of Representing Justice: Invention, Controversy, and Rights in City-States and Democratic Courtrooms (2011) 11:30 a.m. Lunch 12:30 p.m. Sentencing Issues and Elderly Prisoners James Tierney, Director of the National State Attorneys General Program, and Lecturer-in-Law, Columbia Law School 1:30 p.m. Break 1:45 p.m. The Stolen Valor Act - An Intellectual Property Analysis to Protect Symbols of Gallantry Professor Keith M. Harrison, University of New Hampshire, School of Law 2:45 p.m. Break 3:00 p.m. History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier Professor Deborah E. Lipstadt, Emory University Department of Religion, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, author of The Eichmann Trial, (2011) 4:30 p.m. Adjourn/Evaluations 2012 JUDICIAL CONFERENCE AND CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION PROGRAM U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Thursday, March 8, 2012 8:00 a.m. Operation Tomodachi-Japan Tsunami Relief Operations Captain Michael B. Shaw, JAGC, USNR 9:00 a.m. Break 9:15 a.m. Operation Tomodachi-Japan Tsunami Relief Operations (continued) Captain Shaw 10:15 a.m. Break 10:30 a.m. Proportionality Review and the Military Death Penalty Professor Catherine Grosso, Associate Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law, co-author of Racial Discrimination in the Administration of the Death Penalty: The Experience of the United States Armed Forces (1984-2005), David C. Baldus, George Woodworth, Catherine M. Grosso & Richard Newell. 101 J. Crim. L. & Criminology (forthcoming Winter 2012) 12:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. Ethics, Investigations and Accountability in a Combat Setting Brigadier General Thomas Ayres, US Army, JAGC, Commander and Commandant of The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School 2:00 p.m. Break 2:15 p.m. Ethics (Continued) Brigadier General Ayres 3:15 p.m. Evaluations 3:30 p.m. Adjourn For additional information, contact Barbara Burley, Conference Administrator at (202) 761-5207; FAX: (202) 761-7009 or e-mail: Barbara.Burley@armfor.uscourts.gov. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW Alan E. Goldsmith, Esq. Officers with prior enlisted service and eligibility for a board of inquiry Alan E. Goldsmith received his BA in 1973 from Kenyon College and his JD in 1976 from Catholic University Law School. He served on active duty as an Air Force judge advocate from 1979 to 1982, and from 1982 to 2007 was Head of the Discharge Review Section at the Board for Correction of Naval Records. He is currently on the JAA Board of Directors. C ertain officers and warrant officers1 in both the regular and reserve components facing administrative separation for cause have the right to appear before a board of inquiry (BOI).2 Although not every officer and warrant officer is so entitled, some of the individuals who are not eligible should be afforded the opportunity for a BOI. These individuals have relatively short periods of service as officers or warrant officers, but lengthy prior enlisted service. It would seem that these individuals have fallen through the cracks of the current system. The right to a BOI is set forth in federal law3 and reflects congressional intent that some officers and warrant officers subject to administrative separation receive a ―fair and impartial hearing.‖4 The rights afforded to these BOI-eligible individuals are significant and include 30 days prior notice of the allegations against them, a reasonable time to prepare for the BOI, representation by appointed military counsel and/or retained counsel, and full access to relevant records. At the BOI, they may personally appear, present evidence, crossexamine witnesses and request the appearance of supporting witnesses.5 A BOI determination that a respondent should be retained is binding on the service, and such February 2012 action closes the case.6 On the other hand, a recommendation for separation is just that– only a recommendation, which must be approved by the service secretary or a designee before the officer is separated.7 An individual discharged pursuant to the recommendation of a BOI may receive an honorable, general, or under other than honorable conditions discharge. The service secretary or designee may not, however, direct a characterization worse than that recommended by the BOI.8 So, who is eligible for a BOI? Such eligibility is triggered by one of two factors, the characterization of service that may be imposed, or the individual‘s tenure as an officer or warrant officer. Every officer facing separation with a discharge under other than honorable conditions, the worst form of administrative separation, is entitled to a BOI.9 Otherwise, BOI eligibility depends on whether the officer is deemed to be probationary or nonprobationary. Congress has essentially stated that a BOI is not required for regular warrant officers with less than three years of service as warrant officers, active duty list officers with less than six years of active duty commissioned service, and reserve officers and warrant officers with less than six years of active status commissioned service or service as warrant officers.10 Concerning the latter two groups, although the Department of De(Continued on page 24) the judge advocate 23 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (Continued from page 23) fense guidance hews to the six-year threshold for officers11, the individual services sometimes invoke more liberal standards for determining whether both officers and reserve warrant officers are non-probationary and therefore BOI-eligible.12 Probationary officers and warrant officers, those who fail to meet the tenure requirements of their respective services, receive far fewer procedural protections than the individuals entitled to a BOI. The rights of probationary officers extend only to written notice of the allegations, submission of a written rebuttal statement and consultation with appointed military counsel or retained counsel.13 The service secretary or designee may direct retention or separation.14 If an officer or warrant officer is discharged under this truncated procedure, characterization of service is limited to an honorable or general discharge.15 On the surface, the foregoing statutory and regulatory scheme may seem basically fair. Those officers and warrant officers with more lengthy service have more at stake and are entitled to more procedural protection before being separated. The services also have more at stake since such experienced officers are more difficult What about those service members who undertake a non-traditional path to the officer ranks? to replace and should not be discharged until the facts and circumstances prompting the separation action are thoroughly examined. This model works fine in the case of an officer who takes what might be called a traditional path to obtaining his or her commission– graduation from high school followed by completion of a college education followed by commissioning. In the first few years of service, unless the officer is facing discharge under other than honorable conditions, such 24 the judge advocate an individual arguably has an insufficient stake in a military career to warrant the substantial procedural protections of a BOI. But what about those service members who undertake a somewhat non-traditional path to the officer ranks? Such individuals, after graduating from high school, do not immediately move on to college but instead enlist in one of the services and complete at least one enlistment. They then leave the service to attend college or, in some cases, complete their undergraduate degree requirements while continuing their enlisted service. After graduating from college, the individual is commissioned. A variation on this theme is virtually always applicable for those individuals who become warrant officers, since most of them come directly from the enlisted ranks.16 The Navy‘s Limited Duty Officer program also fills its ranks with prior enlisted personnel.17 These officers and warrant officers with prior enlisted service may be denied a BOI if recommended for separation because that service does not count towards the tenure required for a BOI. As previously noted, such seniority may only be attained by accumulating service as an officer or warrant officer–enlisted service does not count. But doesn‘t their enlisted service give them more of a stake in continued service than the probationary officer with no such prior service? In this regard, it seems significant that during their enlisted status, many of these individuals attain sufficient service to meet the six-year tenure requirement for an administrative board, the enlisted equivalent of a BOI.18 Surely, such individuals should not lose their ―board rights‖ simply because their exemplary enlisted service merits selection as officers or warrant officers. A relatively simple solution to this dilemma would be to change the pertinent statutory provisions to state that the threshold for BOI eligibility is determined by total service and not just service as officers or warrant officers. Such a statutory modification would recognize the value of prior enlisted service both to these individuals and to the armed services. The change would make it somewhat more difficult to separate those individuals with prior enlisted service, but this inconvenience would be more than outweighed by the enhanced degree of fairness in the system such a change would en(Continued on page 25) February 2012 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW separated for cause under other than honorable conditions under the approved findings of a board of officers or if the reservist waives such a board); DoDI 1332.30, encl. 3, ¶ 2b(4), encl. 6, ¶ 1b. (Continued from page 24) sure. In other words, no officer or warrant officer would fall through the cracks with such a modification. 10. 10 U.S.C. § 1165 (2006) (regular warrant officers); 10 U.S.C. § 630(1)(A) (2006 & Supp. II 2008) (active duty list officers); 10 U.S.C. § 14503(a)(1) (2006 & Supp. II 2008)) (active status reserve Endnotes officers and warrant officers). But see 10 U.S.C. § 12683 (2006) (with certain limited exceptions, reserve officer or warrant officer 1. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps utilize warrant officers, but with more than five years of commissioned service is not subject to the Air Force does not. involuntary administrative separation without an approved recommendation from a board of officers). 2. Some statutes and regulations refer to a board of officers or administrative discharge board rather than a BOI, but there appear to 11. DoDI 1332.30, Glossary (―non-probationary commissioned be no substantive differences in these terms. In this article, the term officer,‖ ―probationary commissioned officer‖). BOI refers to all three boards. 12. Army Regulation (AR) 600-8-24, ―Officer Transfers and Dis3. 10 U.S.C. § 1182 ( (2006) regular officers); 10 U.S.C. § 1166 charges,‖ Glossary, § 2 (―nonprobationary officer,‖ ―probationary (2006) (regular warrant officers); 10 U.S.C . § 14903 (2006) (active officer‖ (Apr. 12, 2006) (Rapid Action Revision [RAR] Sep. 13, status reserve officers and warrant officers). 2011) (five years for active duty officers); AR 135-175, ―Separation of Officers,‖ ¶¶ 2-3a, c(2), (3), 2-11n, 2-12 (Feb. 28, 1987) (RAR Aug. 4, 2011) (all Army National Guard and reserve officers and 4. §§ 1182(b), 14903(b). warrant officers are BOI-eligible unless they are processed under 5. 10 U.S.C. § 1185 (2006) (regular officers); 10 U.S.C. § 14904 two narrow exceptions with a three-year threshold); Secretary of the (2006) (active status reserve officers and warrant officers); See also, Navy Instruction (SECNAVINST) 1920.6C, ―Administrative Sepa- e.g., (DoDI) ration of Officers,‖ encl. (1), ¶¶ 12, 22, 23 & encl. (4), ¶¶ 4a(1), 4b, 1332.30,‖Separation of Regular and Reserve Commissioned Offi- 5a, 5c (Dec. 15, 2005) (CH-4, Sep. 20, 2011) (six years for regular cers,‖ encl. 5, ¶ 4 (Dec. 11, 2008) (CH-2, Sep. 20, 2011). (all regular and reserve officers, five years for reserve warrant officers); Air and reserve officers, but not warrant officers) Although this direc- Force Instruction (AFI) 36-3206, ―Administrative Discharge Proce- tive does not apply to warrant officers, the services, in their own dures for Commissioned Officers,‖ attach. 1 (―nonprobationary regulations, grant the foregoing rights to warrant officers facing officer,‖ ―probationary officer‖) (Jun. 9, 2004) (CH-6, Oct.18, 2011) separation. (five years for active duty officers); AFI 36-3209, ―Separation and Department of Defense Instruction Retirement Procedures for Air National Guard and Air Force Re6. §§ 1182(d)(1), 14903(e)(1); See also, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, encl. 3, ¶ serve Members,‖ ¶¶ 4.11, 4.12.1.1, 4.12.1.3 (Apr. 14, 2005 (CH-3, 3d(1). Sep. 20, 2011) (five years for reserve officers but all Air National Guard officers are BOI eligible). 7. 10 U.S.C. § 1184 (2006) (regular officers), § 14903(c), (d); See also, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, encl. 3, ¶ 3d(2). 13. See, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, encl. 6, ¶ 1a. Cases of probationary officers in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve are submitted to 8. See, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, encl. 3, ¶ 4b. If an individual is sepa- boards at Headquarters Air Force. AFI 36-3206, ¶ 6.1.2; AFI 36- rated solely for unsatisfactory performance, and not for misconduct, 3209, ¶ 2-39.1. These boards may retain an officer or recommend moral or professional dereliction, or national security, characteriza- separation. AFI 36-3206, ¶ 6.6; AFI 36-3209 ¶ 2.39.5. However, an tion of service must be honorable. 10 U.S.C. § 1186(b)(2)(A) (2006) officer may not be represented by counsel or appear before these (regular officers); 10 U.S.C. § 14905(b)(3)(A) (2006) (active status boards unless the officer‘s testimony is necessary to evaluate the reserve officers and warrant officers); See also, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, case. AFI 36-3206, ¶ 6.4; AFI 36-3209, ¶ 2.39.3. encl. 3, ¶ 4b(1). 14. See, e.g., DoDI 1332.30, encl. 6, ¶ 2a(2), (4). 9. 10 U.S.C. § 12685 (2006) (reservist may only be administratively February 2012 the judge advocate 25 ADMINISTRATIVE LAW (Continued from page 25) 15. Id. ¶ 2a(2). 16. Navy and Marine warrant officers have lengthy periods of prior enlisted service. Chief of Naval Operations Instruction (OPNAVINST) 1420.1B, ―Enlisted to Officer Commissioning Programs Application Administration Manual,‖ encl. (1), ch. 7, ¶8a-b (Dec. 14, 2009); SECNAVINST 1412.9B, ―Marine Corps Limited Duty and Warrant Officer Programs, Promotions and Continuation Procedures,‖ encl. (1), ¶¶4c-d, 19(a)(2), (4), encl. (2), ¶ 3c-d (Feb. 7, 2006). Army warrant officers come from the active and reserve components of all the armed services, and civilians with prior relevant military experience. AR 135-100, ―Appointment of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the Army,‖ ¶ 3-28 (Sep. 1, 1994). Warrant officers called to active duty may not exceed 12 years of prior active service.. Id. ¶ 1-6a(2). 17. 10 U.S.C. §§5589 (2006) (permanent regular LDO appointments); 10 U.S.C. § 5596 (2006) (temporary regular LDO and warrant officer appointments). Navy LDO‘s must have lengthy prior enlisted service. OPNAVINST 1420.1B, encl. (1), ch. 7, ¶¶ 7a, c. Marine LDO‘s are former warrant officers. SECNAVINST 1412.9B, encl. (3), ¶ 4b. 18. See, e.g., DoDI 1332.14, ―Enlisted Administrative Separations,‖ encl. 5, ¶ 2a(7) (Aug. 28, 2008) (Incorporating CH-3, Sep. 30, 2011) (even if not normally eligible, enlisted member with six or more years of active and reserve service is entitled to an administrative board). Life Members Jason Groves Cynthia Norwood Lisa Turner Senior Members (4+ years of service) David Bolgiano Sean Gleason John Henderson Eric Montalvo Rick Morris Ralph Olson Robert Rideout, Jr. Richard Roth Lynn Schmidt Stephen Sikes William Ward III Roger Welsh Alexander Whitaker IV 26 the judge advocate Junior Members (<4 years of service) Nicholas Larson Timothy Reilly Jacobus Vollebregt Law Student Members Sean Bigley Lindsay McCarl Associate Members Shane Riley For membership information or to join, please visit http://www.jaa.org/join February 2012 NEW DEVELOPMENTS Wojciech Z. Kornacki, Esq. 2012 NDAA amends the UCMJ, makes important changes to military personnel law, and invites greater contingency contracting scrutiny A Wojciech Z. Kornacki received his BA in 2001 from Pace University, his JD in 2004 from City University of New York School of Law, completed JAOBC in 2005, and his MSt in 2011 from University of Oxford. He served on active duty as a U.S. Army judge advocate from 2005 to 2010. In 2011, he joined the Federal Practice Group LLP, practicing in the area of military and procurement law. You may reach him at wkornacki @fedpractice.com. rticle 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, states that the Congress shall have the power to provide for ‗the common defense‘ and to ‗raise Armies‘ and ‗maintain a navy.‘1 The Congress accomplishes most of its work in this area by passing a National Defense Authorization Act for each fiscal year. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 20122 offers many important developments for judge advocates and military law practitioners. The act, which became law on December 31, 2011, focuses on force reduction and other than lethal responses to the evolving threat of terrorism. This article focuses on 3 key areas important to military lawyers 1) military justice, 2) military personnel law, and 3) contingency operations contracting. Military Justice The National Defense Authorization Act, through section 541, amends various portions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice3, focusing on Article 120(a), UCMJ, Rape. Previously, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 consolidated most of the sexual offenses into one statute, Article 120, UCMJ, and it required the defense to prove lack of consent by a preponderance of evidence. This resulted in vigorous constitutional challenges to various portions of Article 120, UCMJ, including the burden shifting and instructions. For example, in United States v. Prather4 and United States v. Medina5, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) reviewed the constitutionality of the burden shifting mechanism under Article 120, UCMJ and its accompanying instructions, where the accused was required to ‗prove the affirmative defense of consent by a preponderance of the evidence.‘ In Prather, the Court concluded that such scheme was unconstitutional because the article shifted the burden to the defense to disprove an essential element of the offense. Prather at 343. In Medina, the judge employed his own instructions to address the burden shifting scheme, presumably to circumvent the unconstitutional part of the article, which CAAF found was an error, but not prejudicial to the accused, where the defense agreed to it. Medina at 471. First, Section 541 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 makes significant changes to the affirmative defenses under Article 120, UCMJ. It repeals subsections (r) and (s). Subsection (r) referred to Consent and Mistake of Fact as to Consent, and subsection (s) to Other Affirmative Defenses. Instead, new subsection (f) states (Continued on page 28) February 2012 the judge advocate 27 NEW DEVELOPMENTS (Continued from page 27) that an accused may raise any applicable defenses available under ‗this chapter or the Rules for Court-Martial.‘ Under subsection (t)(16), the accused is still required to provide affirmative defenses by a preponderance of evidence. Section 541 also expands one of the definitions of rape. Article 120(a)(2), UCMJ, states: ‗Any person subject to this chapter who causes another person of any age to engage in a sexual act by causing grievous bodily harm to any person‘ is guilty of rape. Section 541 changes the language to ‗Any person subject to this chapter who commits a sexual act upon another person by using force causing or likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm to any person.‘ The change lowers the evidentiary burden on the prosecution by not requiring it to show the actual grievous bodily harm. Another change is in Article 120(a)(1), UCMJ, which states that a person is guilty of rape if the person is ‗using force against that other person.‘ Section 541 amends this by adding ‗unlawful‘ in front of ‗force‘. Section (a)(4) which states that a person is guilty of rape by ‗rendering another person unconscious‘ is amended by adding ‗first‘ in front of ‗rendering’. In addition, Article 120b, UCMJ, subsections (b), (d), (f), (g), (i), (j) and (o) are repealed. Section 541 makes numerous changes to Sexual Assault and Aggravated Sexual Contact crimes as well. Section 586 requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive policy on preserving evidence and developing policies and procedures for sexual assault cases. Section 542 amends Article 47, UCMJ, Refusal to Appear or Testify. Section 542 states that persons, not subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, who fail to appear for Article 32(b) hearings after they have been issued a subpoena duces tecum will be guilty of an offense against the United States. This amendment seeks to address an on-going challenge of producing civilian witnesses during Article 32(b) hearings. This amendment could prove to be a powerful weapon for both prosecution and defense. Section 542 also no longer requires the Government to 28 the judge advocate “Section 586 requires the Secretary of Defense to develop a comprehensive policy on preserving evidence and developing policies and procedures for sexual assault cases.” pay for transportation fees and mileage before a witness is required to be physically present during judicial proceedings. Instead, the Government is only required to provide ‗a means for reimbursement from the Government…‘ This amendment separates court proceedings and financial expenses of witnesses. Court proceedings will no longer be delayed by a witness who failed to appear because he or she did not receive a payment. Military Personnel Law The act makes a number of important changes to the current military personnel law. The changes are designed to provide incentives for Servicemembers to leave active duty, thus contributing to the overall force reduction. Section 525 expands early discharge for Servicemembers from 3 months to a year. This will allow commanders to separate Servicemembers who have up to one year left before the expiration of their term of enlistment. Section 526 extends voluntary separation pay and benefits to Servicemembers meeting the criteria of 10 U.S.C. § 1175A from 31 December 2012 to December 31, 2018. This section covers voluntary separation as prescribed by regulations of the Secretary of Defense. Section 504 offers voluntary retirement incentive to 675 officers from each Service. This section is aimed at encouraging retirement among officers who have been on active duty for over 20 years but less than 29 years. Section 529 expands separation counseling services for Servicemembers and their spouses to include financial planning, a transition plan, housing assistance and other matters. Section 558 requires the Secretary of Defense to initiate a pilot program to determine whether Servicemembers should be allowed to obtain civilian credentialing or February 2012 NEW DEVELOPMENTS posed maritime contract. It states that the U.S. District Courts shall have no jurisdiction over such matters. Staff Sgt. Ryan Burk verifies a specification of a contracting job while Staff Sgt. Doug Keeler reviews the specifications and drawings of a new bus stop at an air base in Southwest Asia. Both are contracting officers assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Contracting Squadron. Sergeant Burk, a native of FuquayVarina, N.C., deployed from Pope Air Force Base, N.C. Sergeant Keeler, a native of Albany, N.Y., deployed from Little Rock AFB, Ark. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Darnell T. Cannady) (Continued from page 28) licensing certificates required for military occupational specialties (MOS). This section is designed to reduce the costs of training Servicemembers by the military and instead to rely on civilian academic institutions. Finally, section 595 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 requires the Comptroller General to access the necessity of the Selective Service System, and to develop alternatives. Contingency Operations Contracting Contingency operations contracting continues to receive Congressional scrutiny. Section 805 requires the Defense Contract Audit Agency to prepare an annual report listing abuses, problems, and deficiencies encountered during the conduct of contractor audits. Section 861 clarifies jurisdiction of the U.S Court of Federal Claims under the current law6 for matters arising out of maritime contracts or solicitations for a proFebruary 2012 Section 841 directs the Secretary of Defense to revise the DoD Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to terminate all current contracts in excess of $100,000.00 and restrict the award of future contracts, grants, and agreements that the head of the contracting authority determines in writing would provide funding directly or indirectly to insurgency. The authority to restrict, terminate, or void contracts shall cease to be effective on 31 December 2014. This may lead to future litigation depending on procedural protections afforded to contractors who are restricted from contracting with the U.S. Government. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 makes numerous other changes to the legal landscape in which judge advocates and military practitioners operate, including detainee prosecutions, political contributions by contractors, and others. This article highlights some of the key changes in the three areas which are relevant for judge advocates and military practitioners. The changes to the Article 120, UCMJ, will affect the military justice system for years to come. New amendments focused on voluntary separation incentives will continue to impact our military force. Contingency operations contracting will continue to experience greater Congressional scrutiny. You are encouraged to review the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 for details. Endnotes 1. U.S. CONST. art. 1, § 8, cl. 1. 2. H.R. Res. 1540, 112th Cong. (2011) (enacted) 3. 10 U.S.C. ch 47. 4. United States v. Prather 69 M.J. 338 (2010) 5. United States v. Medina, 69 M.J. 462 (2010) 6. 28 U.S.C. § 1491 the judge advocate 29 ARMY UPDATE LTC Jack Ohlweiler, USA Second Army JAG regimental print embodies advice, action, and temperance Jack Ohlweiler (Lieutenant Colonel, USA) is the President, Legal Center & School Alumni Association. O n May 27, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln sent a letter to Union General John M. Schofield with the following instructions: ―Let your military measures be strong enough to repel the invader and keep the peace, and not so strong as to unnecessarily harass and persecute the people.‖ This message came one month after Lincoln had established the Lieber Code, which was the first formal codification of behavior for the Army of the United States of America. That directive, formally titled Instructions for the Government of Armies of the United States in the Field, General Order № 100, outlined the Federal army code of conduct during war. It would later become the basis for other international treaties regulating the laws of armed conflict, including the Hague Conventions in 1907. The origin of this General Order dates to 1862, when MG Henry Halleck, General in Chief of the Army, asked Dr. Francis Lieber of Columbia College to draft rules of warfare to guide the actions of the Union Army in the field. Professor Lieber worked with four Union officers, two of whom were lawyers, to write the code. It was then presented to a board of Union Generals for review, and ultimately to the President himself. Lincoln was pleased with Lieber‘s proposal, and consid- 30 the judge advocate ered an official code of conduct to be an absolute necessity to maintain order and a sense of decency among the ranks. On April 24, 1863, the President gathered together his entire cabinet at the White House where he formally presented and signed the Lieber Code. This forever changed not only how the American military behaved, but how militaries around the world would behave for generations to come. The Association of Alumni of The Judge Advocate General‘s Legal Center and School (―LCS Alumni Association‖) selected this famous scene to be the subject of the Second Judge Advocate General‘s Regimental Print in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and the impact of General Orders No. 100 on the law of armed conflict. The LCS Alumni Association ultimately identified renowned military artist Mort Künstler as the only painter who could capture the essence of this pivotal moment in JAG history. The scene Mr. Künstler created is centered on President Lincoln conferring with Brigadier General Joseph Holt, The Judge Advocate General of the Army, and Professor Lieber. Other distinguished members of Lincoln‘s Cabinet surround the three men as they review this audaciously seminal General Order. (Continued on page 31) February 2012 ARMY UPDATE (Continued from page 30) The original Künstler painting was gifted to the LCS in October 2011 and now hangs in the lobby of the LCS in Charlottesville, Virginia, next to the First JAG Regimental Print, Don Stivers‘s 1998 oil painting, ―You Sir, Are a Spy!‖ depicting the cross-examination of British Major John André by Colonel John Lawrence, the Army‘s second Judge Advocate General. These paintings are intended to remind students and visitors alike of the long and distinguished history of service that JAGs have rendered to the nation. One thousand two hundred and fifty copies of the First Regimental Print were sold for $75 each; today, these prints are sold on the secondary market for over $350 each. Two thousand copies of the Second Regimental Print were originally available for purchase at the LCS Alumni Association webpage, www.tjaglcsalumni.org for $100 each. Over half of these prints have already sold and the price is scheduled to rise to $150 in July, 2012. Proceeds from these sales are used to support programs and activities which promote the professionalism, esprit de corps, and educational reputation of The Judge Advocate General‘s Legal Center and School and its alumni. The LCS Alumni Association hopes that the Second JAG Regimental Print will remind all military attorneys who see it that advice matters as much as action, that temperance should go hand in hand with military force, and that Judge Advocates have proudly embodied these ideals throughout their storied history. February 2012 the judge advocate 31 U.S. Air Force photo