United States v. Christian

61 M.J. 560, 2005 CCA LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1153413
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedMay 16, 2005
DocketNMCCA 200100734
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 61 M.J. 560 (United States v. Christian) 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
United States v. Christian, 61 M.J. 560, 2005 CCA LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1153413 (N.M. 2005).

Opinion

PRICE, Senior Judge:

Contrary to his pleas, the appellant was convicted of violation of a lawful general order (seven specifications), consensual sodomy, assault consummated by a battery (five specifications), adultery, indecent language (three specifications), and indecent assault (three specifications). The appellant’s offenses violated Articles 92,125, 128, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 892, 925, 928, and 934. A military judge sitting as a general court-martial sentenced the appellant to confinement for 12 months, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a bad-con-duet discharge. The convening authority “changed” the findings of guilty of the three specifications of indecent assault to findings of guilty of the lesser included offense of assault consummated by a battery under each specification. The convening authority approved the findings as changed and approved the sentence as adjudged.

The appellant now asserts as error that: (1) the conviction for private, consensual, heterosexual oral sodomy between adults is unconstitutional; (2) the military judge abused her discretion in denying a motion to strike the testimony of a key Government witness who invoked her right against self-incrimination during cross-examination; (3) the charges of indecent assault and indecent language were unreasonably multiplied with the charges of sexual harassment; (4) the evidence of assault consummated by a battery during an athletic contest was legally and factually insufficient; and (5) the sentence is inappropriately severe.

We have carefully considered the record of trial, the assignments of error, the Brief of Amici Curiae in support of the appellant1, the Government’s response, and the excellent oral arguments. As modified, we conclude that the findings and the sentence are correct in law and fact and that no error materially prejudicial to the substantial rights of the appellant was committed. Arts. 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 859(a) and 866(c).

Background

The appellant was assigned as a recruiter in Staunton, Virginia. His wife lived in their home in Woodbridge, Virginia, during his assignment in Staunton. In the course of his recruiting work, the appellant became acquainted with Ms. RW, a senior in high school. At the time they met, she was 17 years old; she turned 18 shortly thereafter. He met RW through one of her friends, a “poolee” who had enlisted in the Marine Corps delayed entry program. At the appellant’s request, RW worked in the recruiting office as a volunteer tutor for prospective applicants who needed help passing the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test.

Gradually, the relationship between the appellant and RW evolved from acquaintanceship to sexual relations. Beginning in about April 1996, they had sexual intercourse and oral sodomy frequently at his apartment. However, on more than 20 occasions, they also had intercourse and oral sodomy in his private office at the recruiting station. All of the sexual relations were consensual.

In May 1998, the appellant transferred to Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD), San Diego, California and was assigned to the Provost Marshal’s Office. While serving as one of two section chiefs, the appellant sexually harassed three junior female Marines who worked in the office, as well as the civilian wife of a subordinate noncommis-sioned officer. The harassment consisted of numerous incidents of inappropriate comments and physical contact, which comprise [562]*562the convictions for indecent language and assault. He also fraternized with two other junior female Marines.

Despite his cross-country transfer, the appellant chose to continue his relationship with RW. In early August 1998, the appellant’s wife and infant daughter moved to San Diego. Apparently unaware of her husband’s relationship with RW, Mrs. Christian agreed with the appellant to hire her to be a nanny in their home. RW lived with the Christians in San Diego for about five months. During this time, she and the appellant continued to have intercourse and oral sodomy. Most of these acts occurred in the Christians’ residence, sometimes while Mrs. Christian was present in the home but unaware of the behavior. The other incidents occurred in a hotel in the San Diego area. There was no evidence that the appellant and RW had any sexual relations in his office at MCRD, San Diego.

About midway through her stay with the Christians, RW began to withdraw hundreds of dollars from one of the Christians’ bank accounts without authority or permission. Mrs. Christian eventually fired RW, and, shortly thereafter, RW returned to Virginia.

Constitutionality of Art. 125, UCMJ, As Applied to Appellant

The appellant asserts that, under Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 123 S.Ct. 2472, 156 L.Ed.2d 508 (2003), his Article 125, UCMJ, conviction for consensual sodomy is unconstitutional. We disagree.

Whether the appellant’s conviction for consensual sodomy must be set aside in light of Lawrence is a constitutional question we review de novo. United States v. Marcum, 60 M.J. 198, 202 (C.A.A.F.2004)(citing Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184, 190, 84 S.Ct. 1676, 12 L.Ed.2d 793 (1964)).

In Lawrence, the United States Supreme Court reversed a Texas state court conviction for private, consensual, same-sex sodomy. 539 U.S. at 579, 123 S.Ct. 2472. Under the facts of that case, the Court reasoned that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protected one’s liberty to engage in homosexual sodomy, thus the Texas statute prohibiting this conduct was unconstitutional. Id. at 578, 123 S.Ct. 2472.

In Marcum, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces considered the application of the Lawrence decision to Article 125, UCMJ, in a military context. The Marcum court rejected the argument that, under Lawrence, Article 125, UCMJ, was unconstitutional on its face. It stated that “an understanding of military culture and mission cautions against sweeping constitutional pronouncements that may not account for the nuance of military life.” Marcum, 60 M.J. at 206. Instead, the court adopted a tripartite framework to determine whether Article 125, UCMJ, is constitutional as applied to the facts of a given case.

First, was the conduct that the accused was found guilty of committing of a nature to bring it within the liberty interest identified by the Supreme Court? Second, did the conduct encompass any behavior or factors identified by the Supreme Court as outside the analysis in Lawrence? Third, are there additional factors relevant solely in the military environment that affect the nature and reach of the Lawrence liberty interest?

Id. at 206-07 (internal citation omitted).

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61 M.J. 560, 2005 CCA LEXIS 158, 2005 WL 1153413, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-christian-nmcca-2005.