If you have already been interrogated the first and best thing you can do to help yourself and your military lawyer at this point is to sit down and make a complete and detailed account of what happened. Write down who was there, what was said, and what was done. Be as detailed as possible, memories fade and your notes will be very helpful later on.
Many civil legal matters can be handled by a military legal assistance attorney at no cost to servicemembers. Civil matters include landlord-tenant disputes, wills and trust, family law (including divorce, separation, custody, and child support), naturalization, consumer issues (including debt collection, consumer scams, identity theft), powers of attorneys, advanced …
It is quite common to encounter an inexperienced uniformed judge advocate, sometimes right out of law school. With little to no exposure as practicing attorneys in military law, these newly minted judge advocates are routinely detailed to servicemembers suspected of misconduct by the government, even though they have never argued in front of a military judge or represented an …
Military Law Information. Rights Under Article 31(b), UCMJ. Military members enjoy the same rights against self-incrimination as any United States citizen. As a military member, you do not have to say or do anything that might tend to incriminate you. Too often, military members think that they can simply talk their way out of a difficult ...
United States v. Pinson, 56 MJ 489 (servicemembers have a right to counsel, including the right to a lawyer appointed free of charge, at the pretrial stage, trial stage, post-trial stage, and the appellate stage, and a concomitant right to confidential communications between the attorney and client).
You cannot be compelled or forced to talk to CID, NCIS, OSI, CGIS, or any other military law enforcement person about an alleged crime involving a family member. It doesn't matter whether you are in the military yourself. The investigator's will not tell you that you can't be forced to talk with them.
Self-Incrimination Protections. Pursuant to Article 31, Uniform Code of Military Justice (Section 831 of Title 10, United States Code), servicemembers have a right against self-incrimination and an entitlement to be informed of the suspected offense(s) before questioning begins.
You may be in pre-trial confinement or restriction, but at the very least, you will likely be placed in “legal hold” during the entirety of the investigation. This legal hold status can prevent deployment, promotion, transfer, or release from active duty.
Civilian Agent. Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Special Agents are a mix of active duty officer and enlisted personnel, civilians, and reservists who share a common desire, to serve their country as a member of the Department of the Air Force's premier investigative agency.
Do I have to provide my cell-phone to military law enforcement? The short answer is that we would not recommend ever consenting to a search of your digital world - computers, phones, cameras. If law enforcement wants to seize a phone, the 4th Amendment, US Constitution requires them to obtain a warrant.Jan 29, 2017
Adultery in the military is addressed under Article 134 of the UCMJ, also known as the “General Article,” which is a list of prohibited conduct that is of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces or is prejudicial to good order and discipline.
(Art. 32) Whenever practicable, the preliminary hearing officer shall be equal to or senior in rank to the government and defense counsel. A victim may not be required to testify at the preliminary hearing. A victim who declines to testify shall be deemed to be not available for the purposes of the preliminary hearing.
Article 92 defines disobeying a direct order as three types of offenses - violations or failures to obey lawful general orders or regulations, failures to obey other lawful orders, and dereliction of duty. Article 92 charges are common in many prosecutions.
The military justice system follows the civilian requirement that a review of the decision to confine the person be conducted within 48 hours. Within 72 hours, the military member is entitled to have his commanding officer review whether his continued confinement is appropriate.
Article 13 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) prohibits the imposition of punishment or penalty upon an accused prior to trial, as well as pretrial arrest or confinement conditions which are more rigorous than “the circumstances required” to ensure the Soldier's presence at trial.
Understanding Article 91 (Insubordinate Conduct Toward Warrant Officer, Noncommissioned Officer, or Petty Officer) of the UCMJ. The purpose of Article 91 is to protect warrant, noncommissioned, or petty officers from disrespect and violence as well as ensuring obedience to their lawful orders.