Taylor v. Garaffa

57 M.J. 645, 2002 CCA LEXIS 206, 2002 WL 31045302
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedSeptember 11, 2002
DocketNMCM 200201419
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 57 M.J. 645 (Taylor v. Garaffa) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. Garaffa, 57 M.J. 645, 2002 CCA LEXIS 206, 2002 WL 31045302 (N.M. 2002).

Opinion

OLIVER, Senior Judge:

Petitioner has submitted a petition for extraordinary relief in the nature of a writ of mandamus. He contends that the Respondent military judge improperly denied his motion to limit the jurisdiction of his special court-martial to impose punishment. Since he allegedly committed the charged offense prior to 15 May 2002, he claims that Rule for Courts-Martial 201(f)(2)(B)(i), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (2000 ed.), as that rule existed prior to the 2002 Amendments to the Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, as prescribed by Exec. Order No. 13262, 3 C.F.R. Executive Order 13262 (Apr. 11, 2002)[hereinafter Executive Order], sets the appropriate jurisdictional limits. He requests an order from this Court directing that Respondent, the military judge detailed to Petitioner’s special court-martial, grant Petitioner’s motion to limit the maximum punishment to that which existed prior to 15 May 2002. After careful consideration of the excellent briefs prepared on short notice by counsel for both parties, we find that Petitioner has failed to establish that he is entitled to an extraordinary writ restricting the jurisdiction, of his special-court martial in this manner.

I. JURISDICTION

Both parties agree that this Court has jurisdiction to consider and, if it deems appropriate, issue an extraordinary writ in this case in the nature of a writ of mandamus under the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651(a). Ponder v. Stone, 54 M.J. 613, 615 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.2000). Because this Court is the highest judicial tribunal within the Department of the Navy, this writ authority is in aid of its mandate to supervise the administration of courts-martial within the Navy and Marine Corps. See United States v. Curtin, 44 M.J. 439, 440 (1996); Dettinger v. United States, 7 M.J. 216, 219-20 (C.M.A.1979); Hobdy v. United States, 46 M.J. 653, 654 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1997); Aviz v. Carver, 36 M.J. 1026, 1028 (N.M.C.M.R.1993). This Court, therefore, has jurisdiction to consider the merits of this petition.

II. SUMMARY OF THE FACTS

Both parties also agree on all the relevant facts. On 30 April 2002, Petitioner provided a urine specimen as part of a command-directed urinalysis-screening test. His command received a naval message on 14 May 2002 informing it that Petitioner had tested positive for cocaine. On 28 May 2002, the convening authority convened a special court-martial, preferred a single charge and specification for wrongful use of cocaine against Petitioner, and referred that charge for trial.

On 11 April 2002, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13262. Among other things, this Executive Order amended R.C.M. 201(f)(2)(B)(i) to allow special courts-martial to adjudge confinement for not more than 1 year and forfeiture of two-thirds pay per month for not more than 1 year.1 Prior to that amendment, R.C.M. 201(f)(2)(B)(i) [647]*647limited both of these punishments to a maximum of 6 months. To assist Navy and Marine Corps practitioners in applying this amendment, on 14 May 2002 the Judge Advocate General of the Navy promulgated guidance on the issue, stating that the increase in jurisdictional máximums of confinement and forfeitures at special courts-martial should apply only in those cases “in which the accused is convicted of an offense committed on or after 15 May 2002.” JAG memo of 14 May 2002. The memorandum noted that he had coordinated this guidance with the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Petitioner was arraigned on the Charge and Specification on 22 July 2002. Immediately after arraignment, Petitioner filed a motion to limit the court’s maximum punishment provided under R.C.M. 201(f)(2)(B)(i) to the maximum in effect prior to the amendment. In this motion, Petitioner argued that he was alleged to have committed the offense prior to the effective date of the amendment in the Executive Order. Respondent denied Petitioner’s motion, ruling that R.C.M. 201(f)(2)(B)(i), as amended by the Executive Order, provided the appropriate limitations on punishment for any special court-martial convened after 15 May 2002. The petition for extraordinary relief followed immediately on 22 July 2002.

On that same day and in response to the petition, this Court issued an order staying the proceedings, requesting that the Judge Advocate General assign counsel to represent Respondent, and directing that Respondent show cause as to why the petition should not be granted. Respondent’s counsel entered an appearance and filed a response on Respondent’s behalf on 1 August 2002. This Court denied Respondent’s subsequent request for oral argument.

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

In reviewing Petitioner’s claim, we begin with the premise that “a Writ of Mandamus is a drastic remedy that should be used only in truly extraordinary situations.” Aviz, 36 M.J. at 1028. It is generally disfavored, because it disrupts the orderly process of appellate review that occurs only after the completion of a court-martial proceeding in which an accused has been convicted and sentenced. McKinney v. Jarvis, 46 M.J. 870, 873-74 (Army Ct.Crim.App.1997). For that reason, “the petitioner bears the burden of demonstrating that he is entitled to [the extraordinary relief] as a clear and indisputable right.” Aviz, 36 M.J. at 1028; accord Will v. Calvert Fire Insurance Co., 437 U.S. 655, 662, 98 S.Ct. 2552, 57 L.Ed.2d 504 (1978); Ross v. United States, 43 M.J. 770, 771 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1995); United States v. Thomas, 33 M.J. 768, 770 (N.M.C.M.R.1991). With these principles in mind, we turn to a discussion of Petitioner’s legal arguments.

IV. DISCUSSION

In his brief, Petitioner makes three separate legal arguments as to why he is entitled to relief: (1) that Respondent violated the language of the Executive Order; (2) that Respondent violated the guidance the Judge Advocate General of the Navy issued for use in applying it; and (3) that the 2002 Amendments, increasing the jurisdictional maximum of the special court-martial, if applied to the special circumstances in Petitioner’s case, would constitute an Ex Post Facto law in violation of the U.S. Constitution.2

Violation of Executive Order

Petitioner first contends that Respondent violated the language of the President’s Executive Order. We disagree.

Congress set the jurisdiction of a special court-martial in Article 19, UCMJ, 10 USC § 819, when it amended that Article to allow a special court-martial to adjudge confinement and forfeiture of pay for up to 1 year. P.L. No. 106-65, Div. A, Title V, Subtitle J, § 577(a). That amendment was signed into law on 5 October 1999 and became effective on 1 April 2000. Pub.L. No. 106-65, Div. A, Title V, Subtitle J, § 577(b), 113 Stat. 625 (codified at 10 U.S.C. § 819)(Oct. 5, 1999)(noting that these amendments “shall [648]*648take effect on the first day of the sixth month beginning after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to charges referred on or after that effective date to trial by special courts-martial.” Id.).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Wallace
58 M.J. 759 (Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
57 M.J. 645, 2002 CCA LEXIS 206, 2002 WL 31045302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-garaffa-nmcca-2002.