In re Taylor

160 F. Supp. 932, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2586
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedMarch 28, 1958
DocketNo. 11588
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 160 F. Supp. 932 (In re Taylor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
In re Taylor, 160 F. Supp. 932, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2586 (W.D. Mo. 1958).

Opinion

RIDGE, District Judge.

Ordinarily, a United States District Court will not entertain a petition for writ of habeas corpus by one confined under judgment and sentence of a court-martial, “save in rare cases where exceptional circumstances of peculiar urgency” are shown to exist. United States ex rel. Kennedy v. Tyler, 269 U.S. 13, 17, 46 S.Ct. 1, 3, 70 L.Ed. 138. The facts in the instant habeas corpus proceeding do not appear to fall within the exception so noted.

Petitioner, a member of the National Guard of the United States, with his own consent and the consent of the Governor of North Carolina, was ordered into active duty for training with the United States Army, with reporting date of January 13, 1957. The order specified that the training period would be for six months and that the petitioner would be relieved from duty in time to arrive at his home on July 12, 1957, on which date he would revert to inactive status unless sooner relieved (Petitioner’s Exhibit 2). While assigned to Company D, First Battalion, First Training Regiment Engineer, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, petitioner absented himself without proper authority from that organization on March 29, 1957, and remained so absent until he was apprehended by military authorities at Charlotte, North Carolina. On the . same day, he was transferred for confinement in the Post Stockade, Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

While confined in the Post Stockade, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, petitioner on May 16, 1957, again absented himself without proper authority and remained so absent until June 12, 1957, when he was again apprehended and confined in the Post Stockade, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The petitioner remained in such confinement until June 24, 1957, when he was returned to his parent unit at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. After his return to Fort-Leonard Wood, petitioner’s Commanding Officer, on or about June 26, 1957, had the Company Clerk prepare charge against the petitioner,' alleging two offenses of absence without proper authority from his organization in violation of Article 86, Uniform Code of Military Justice (10 U.S.C.A. § 886). After being informed of such charges petitioner was released from training duty, but under orders not to leave Fort Leonard Wood Post while awaiting trial by court-martial for the above offenses. Petitioner’s Commanding Officer duly executed and forwarded the charge sheet made against petitioner to his next superior in command at Battalion Headquarters. In due course the same was forwarded to Regimental Headquarters, to the officer exercising summary court-martial jurisdiction as prescribed by paragraph 32(f), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1951 (16 Federal Register, 1303-1469, 10 Feb. ’51).

While the charges were so lodged with the convening authority the petitioner on July 8, 1957, again absented himself without authority from his organization at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and remained so absent until August 7, 1957, when he was again apprehended and confined by military authorities at Charlotte, North Carolina. On August 8, 1957, he was transferred for confinement at the Post Stockade, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. On August 17, 1957, petitioner was transferred for confinement to the Post Stockade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

After petitioner absented himself without leave on July 8, 1957, and on some date subsequent to July 12, 1957, [934]*934the original court-martial charge sheet, alleging the two offenses of absence without proper authority which had been prepared on June 26, 1957, were retui-ned by the Regimental Officer exercising summary court-martial jurisdiction to petitioner’s Commanding Officer, with the notation made by Regimental Headquarters, “Forwarded without action pending return of E.M.” (E.M., i. e. Enlisted Man). It is the testimony of petitioner’s Commanding Officer, before this Court, that such charge sheet was returned to him for the purpose of consolidating a new charge therein for the last unauthorized absence of petitioner; that on or about August 10, 1957, he had the Company Clerk prepare a new charge sheet alleging an offense of failure to obey a lawful order, and three offenses of absence without leave, in violation of Articles 92 and 86, U.C.M.J. (10 U.S. C.A. §§ 892 and 886.) After the new charge sheet was so prepared the Company Clerk destroyed by burning the charge sheet preferred by petitioner’s Commanding Officer on or about June 26, 1957. The new charge sheet was then delivered by petitioner’s Commanding Officer to his Battalion Commander. Before petitioner’s Commanding Officer signed and swore to that new charge sheet, the Battalion Commander suggested to petitioner’s Commanding Officer that an additional charge of desertion in violation of Article 85, U.C.M.J. (10 U.S.C.A. § 885) be incorporated therein. The record reveals that on August 18, 1957, that additional charge was incorporated, and petitioner was Informed of the consolidated charges so contained in the new charge sheet. On the same date, petitioner’s Commanding Officer swore to said charges and forwarded same to the officer exercising summary court-martial jurisdiction, as required by paragraph 32(f), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1951. On August 22, 1957, the court-martial charges were investigated under the provisions of Article 32, U.C.M.J. (10 U.S. C.A. § 832). The investigating officer recommended trial by General Court-Martial on the offenses so charged. September 10, 1957, the charges were referred for trial before a General Court-Martial, convened by the Commanding General, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. October 26, 1957, the petitioner was arraigned on the aforenamed charges. He pleaded not guilty. At court-martial trial thereon he was found guilty on all offenses charged and sentenced to dishonorable discharge, with forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement at hard labor for one year and six months. During the course of his trial the petitioner, through his counsel, moved to dismiss the charges on the ground that the court-martial lacked jurisdiction over the person of petitioner and the offense, contending that National Guardsmen of the United States were not subject to courts-martial jurisdiction when on active duty training for six months, pursuant to section 233(d), Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952 (10 U.S.C.A. § 672(d)). The motion was denied by the Law Officer.

On January 9, 1958, the Staff Judge Advocate reviewed the record of trial and rendered his written opinion thereon to the convening authority as required under the provisions of Article 61, U.C.M.J. (10 U.S.C.A. § 861). The Staff Judge Advocate concluded that the evidence was legally insufficient to support the finding of guilty of the offense of failing to obey a lawful order in violation of Article 92, U.C.M.J., and accordingly recommended that that charge be disapproved; and, that the sentence of confinement be reduced to one year. He found that the remaining charges were supported by the evidence. He also concluded that the court-martial had jurisdiction over the person of the petitioner for such other offenses and that petitioner’s claim to the contrary was without merit.

On January 29, 1958, the convening authority, under the provisions of Article 64, U.C.M.J. (10 U.S.C.A. § 864) disapproved the charge of failure to obey a lawful order in violation of Article 92, and approved the remaining findings of [935]*935guilty, and reduced the period of petitioner’s confinement to one year.

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5 M.J. 413 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1978)

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Bluebook (online)
160 F. Supp. 932, 1958 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2586, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-taylor-mowd-1958.