United States v. Davis

29 M.J. 1004, 1990 WL 7261
CourtU S Air Force Court of Military Review
DecidedJanuary 31, 1990
DocketACM 27871
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 29 M.J. 1004 (United States v. Davis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U S Air Force Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Davis, 29 M.J. 1004, 1990 WL 7261 (usafctmilrev 1990).

Opinion

DECISION

LEONARD, Judge:

Appellant pleaded guilty to and was convicted of two offenses of committing forceful sodomy with children under the age of 16 and two offenses of committing indecent acts with children under the age of 16. In his appeal, he asserts four errors. We agree with two of his assertions.

The first assertion is that it was error for the staff judge advocate, in his post-trial recommendation, to advise the convening authority that he did not have to review a videotape submitted by the appellant as part of his clemency matters under Article 60(b), UCMJ. We agree.

After the staff judge advocate prepared his post-trial recommendation and submitted it to the accused and his counsel, the appellant submitted a variety of clemency matters including a videotape and letters and notes written by him, his family and friends. The videotape is a statement by the appellant, approximately 35 minutes in length, recounting his own experiences of sexual molestation as a child, the impact of these incidents upon him, his feelings about the offenses he committed and asking for clemency with respect to his sentence. In the addendum to his recommendations to the convening authority, the staff judge advocate provided a four sentence synopsis of the videotape, stated that the videotape was redundant of the appellant’s unsworn statement at trial, and advised the convening authority that he was not required to review the videotape. The staff judge advocate referred the convening authority to the portion of the record of trial that contained the unsworn statement and informed the convening authority that he was not required to review the videotape because an accused’s submissions to a convening authority were limited to written matters. Despite his recommendation, he included the videotape with the other clemency matters sent to the convening authority with the addendum and suggested to the convening authority that he could review it if he wished. The convening authority, in a note in the margin of the addendum, responded “No” to this suggestion.

The Military Justice Act of 1983 created a statutory right for an accused to submit matters for the convening authority to consider before taking action on the accused’s case. Pub.L. No. 98-209, section 5(a)(1), 97 Stat. 1393, 1395 (codified at 10 U.S.C. 860 (1983)). The corresponding Manual for Courts-Martial provision is R.C.M. 1105(b). Air Force Regulation 111-1, Military Justice Guide, paragraph 15-7a (Sep 1988) [1006]*1006provides further guidance on the matters an accused may submit.

The government, in its brief to this court, maintains that an accused is limited to presenting only written matters for a convening authority’s consideration in acting on a case. They point out that R.C.M. 1105(b) provides:

The accused may submit to the convening authority any written matters which may reasonably tend to affect the convening authority’s decision whether to disapprove any findings of guilty or to approve the sentence.

(Emphasis added.)

The analysis accompanying the 1984 Manual for Courts-Martial provides that R.C.M. 1105(b) is based on Articles 38 and 60, UCMJ and paragraphs 48k(3) and 77a of MCM, 1969 (Rev.). MCM, App. 21, Rule 1105 (1984). Of these references, only paragraph 77a, MCM, 1969 (Rev.), entitled Recommendation for Clemency, limited an accused’s submissions to a convening authority to written matters. However, this provision predated the Military Justice Act of 1983 and MCM, 1984 and, after 1 August 1984, the accused’s right to submit matters, including matters of clemency, is based on Article 60(b), UCMJ.

Article 60(b), UCMJ does not contain any limit on the nature of the matters an accused may submit for the convening authority’s consideration with respect to the findings and sentence. The only limits provided with respect to submission of the matters is a time limit for submitting them. Article 60(b)(1), UCMJ. Further, the convening authority’s action on the case may only be taken after consideration of the matters submitted by the accused or after the time for such submissions has expired. Article 60(c)(2), UCMJ. The legislative history of the Military Justice Act of 1983 contains no indication that there was any intent to limit an accused’s submissions to a convening authority to only written matters. On the contrary, the Senate discussions and the House report concerning this provision refer to the “matter” or “submission” an accused may make and insuring that the accused would have a sufficient time to gather and prepare his “matter” or “submission”. 129 Cong.Rec. S5612 (daily ed. April 23, 1983) (statement of Sen. Jepsen); H.R.Rep. No. 549, 98th Cong., 1st Sess. 15, reprinted in 1983 U.S.Code Cong. & Admin.News 2177/2180.

Paragraph 15-7a of Air Force Regulation 111-1, Military Justice Guide, provides the Air Force guidance on the matters an accused may submit for the convening authority’s consideration. This paragraph provides the matters an accused submits may include clemency matters but does not provide any limitation on the form of the matters to be submitted.

We find the staff judge advocate’s advice to the convening authority was erroneous. The inclusion of the word “written” before “matters” in R.C.M. 1105 is contrary to the wording of Article 60(b), UCMJ and the legislative history of the statutory right of an accused to submit matters for a convening authority’s consideration. Further, it conflicts with the guidance contained in Air Force Regulation 111-1, Military Justice Guide, for an Air Force accused’s submission of matters to his convening authority. The staff judge advocate should have advised the convening authority to review the videotape.

The appellant’s second assertion of error is that the record of trial and allied papers do not establish that the convening authority properly considered the clemency matters submitted by the appellant before taking his action on appellant’s case. We agree with this assertion only with respect to the videotape. The staff judge advocate’s addendum to his recommendations to the convening authority summarized the items the appellant submitted, stated they were attached to the addendum, and informed the convening authority that he was required to read and consider the submissions other than the videotape. Other than the convening authority’s notation with respect to the videotape, there is no indication that the items were not attached as stated or not reviewed. Therefore, with respect to the clemency submissions, other than the videotape, we are not required to speculate as to whether they were present[1007]*1007ed to the convening authority or considered by him. United States v. Craig, 28 M.J. 321 (C.M.A.1989).

Appellant’s next assertion of error is that the military judge erred in failing to sua sponte challenge for cause court members who had expressed a predisposition to adjudge a punitive discharge. We disagree and find no error on the part of the military judge’s handling of the examination and selection of the court members.

All the prospective members were subjected to individual voir dire by both counsel and the military judge. When the members were informed of the offenses the appellant had pleaded guilty to, five of them indicated a predisposition to adjudge a punitive discharge.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 M.J. 1004, 1990 WL 7261, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-davis-usafctmilrev-1990.