Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Three stars for three wise men enacted

The President yesterday signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which is now Public Law No. 110-181.

The legislation provides that serving Judge Advocates General will serve as three-stars and the legal counsel to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will serve as a one-star. See § 543.

The Act also makes one amendment to the UCMJ. Section 542 amends Article 136 to authorize CAAF judges to administer oaths. So the 2008 Manual for Courts-Martial is already out-of-date. Think we'll see a replacement volume during this decade?

The NDAA includes one other military justice provision, though it isn't codified in the UCMJ. Section 544 requires SECDEF to "prescribe regulations to prohibit the active participation by members of the Armed Forces in a criminal street gang."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hooray! Maybe now OJAG will have more clout when it comes to facilities. I will never forget how CNI made the appellate codes--including NMCCA--pack up and move across the Washington Navy Yard at a time when CAAF was hammering away at them on the subject of post-trial delay. Big picture, anyone?

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding? Being forced out of the NCIS building is the best thing that ever happened to Code 45! We actually got windows and didn't have to use records of trial as furniture.

Will this change affect the billet rank of AJAGs?

Anonymous said...

This fiasco, better known as JAGFLATION, is the work of AF Senator Lindsey Graham and Retired AF Reserve JAG General Ed Rodriguez. As an congratulatory email from retired Army JAG John Fugh notes:
"The lion's share of credit goes to BG Rodriguez, USAFR (Ret.) who had devoted countless hours on this project since June 2003. Please pass on to the RAJA membership." Come on guys, can't you just stick to puffing up your golf courses and o clubs.

Best regards,



John L. Fugh