Martial Justice

A timely, provocative account of how military justice has shaped American society since the nation’s beginnings. Historian and former soldier Chris Bray tells the sweeping story of military justice from the earliest days of the republic to contemporary arguments over using military courts to try foreign terrorists or soldiers accused of sexual assault. Stretching from the American Revolution to 9/11, Court-Martial recounts the stories of famous American court-martials, including those involving President Andrew Jackson, General William Tecumseh Sherman, Lieutenant Jackie Robinson, and Private Eddie Slovik. Bray explores how encounters of freed slaves with the military justice system during the Civil War anticipated the civil rights movement, and he explains how the Uniform Code of Military Justice came about after World War II. With a great eye for narrative, Bray hones in on the human elements of these stories, from Revolutionary-era militiamen demanding the right to participate in political speech as citizens, to black soldiers risking their lives during the Civil War to demand fair pay, to the struggles over the court-martial of Lieutenant William Calley and the events of My Lai during the Vietnam War. Throughout, Bray presents readers with these unvarnished voices and his own perceptive commentary. Military justice may be separate from civilian justice, but it is thoroughly entwined with American society. As Bray reminds us, the history of American military justice is inextricably the history of America, and Court-Martial powerfully documents the many ways that the separate justice system of the armed forces has served as a proxy for America’s ongoing arguments over equality, privacy, discrimination, security, and liberty.

The military justice system (MJS) comprises the body of law that governs the disciplinary processes within the three Services. It is important to have a separate justice system to ensure that wherever in the world a serviceman is, if he commits a crime or a disciplinary infraction, he knows he will be dealt with according to military law. The prosecution of civilians subject to Service discipline and young offenders is also included. Until 2006, each Service had its own disciplinary system and disciplinary act. The Armed Forces Act 2006 introduced a uniform system for the three Services, harmonizing the offences and methods of disposal. This was an enormous undertaking, which has been largely successful. The legislation still remains a complex area, which is daunting to those who are unfamiliar with the system. This handbook attempts to cover the key provisions. To make the task of advising clients a little easier, by “speaking the same language,” a useful list is included of some common acronyms used in the Services. Bearing in mind the volume of law and regulation, this book is principally designed to give some useful background information about the Service disciplinary system and provide an insight into the main offences charged at summary hearing and court martial. It is a sort of “road map” of the military justice system, which complements the excellent Manual of Service Law and Judge Advocate General’s guidance.

In the criminal law system, some basic objectives are to discover the truth, acquit the innocent without unnecessary delay or expense, punish the guilty proportionately with their crimes, and prevent and deter further crime, thereby providing for the public order. Military justice shares these objectives in part, but also serves to enhance discipline throughout the Armed Forces, serving the overall objective of providing an effective national defense. Contents of this report: Intro.; Military Courts-Martial: Jurisdiction; Types of Offenses; Investigation; Types of Courts-Martial: Summary Courts-Martial; Special Courts-Martial; General Courts-Martial; Post-Trial Review; Appellate Review; Selected Procedural Safeguards. Illus. This is a print on demand report.

Reprint of the original.

Soldiers found guilty of desertion or cowardice during the Great War faced death by firing squad. Novels, histories, movies, and television series often depict courts martial as brutal and inflexible, and social memories of this system of frontline justice have inspired modern movements to seek pardons for soldiers executed on the battlefield. In this powerful and moving book, Teresa Iacobelli looks beyond stories of callous generals and quick executions to consider the trials of nearly two hundred soldiers who were sentenced to death but spared by a disciplinary system capable of thoughtful review and compassion. By bringing to light these men's experiences, Death or Deliverance reconsiders an important chapter in the history of both a war and a nation.