United States v. Harris

66 M.J. 781, 2008 CCA LEXIS 272, 2008 WL 2938655
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedJuly 31, 2008
DocketNMCCA 200401897
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 66 M.J. 781 (United States v. Harris) 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. Harris, 66 M.J. 781, 2008 CCA LEXIS 272, 2008 WL 2938655 (N.M. 2008).

Opinion

PUBLISHED OPINION OF THE COURT

O’TOOLE, Chief Judge:

This matter is again before this court, pursuant to the order of our superior court, to review an administrative file that contains the disposition of the appellant’s ethics complaint against a Government counsel. We are then to reconsider the appellant’s motion [783]*783to reconsider and motion to recuse our predecessor panel, including Senior Judge Geiser, who was formerly the Director of the Administrative Law Division (OJAG Code 13) at the time the appellant’s ethics complaint against a Navy judge advocate was initially processed by that division. United States v. Harris, 65 M.J. 485 (C.A.A.F.2007).

Contrary to his pleas, the accused was convicted by a special court-martial, with enlisted representation, of wrongful use of methamphetamines, in violation of Article 112a, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. § 912a. The appellant was sentenced to 3 months confinement, forfeiture of $795.00 pay per month for a period of 3 months, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a bad-conduct discharge. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged. Our predecessor panel affirmed the appellant’s conviction. United States v. Harris, 65 M.J. 594 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.2007).

Following initial appellate review, the appellant moved to recuse the original court panel, alleging a conflict by Senior Judge Geiser, the lead judge. The appellant also imputed the alleged conflict to the other judges of the panel. His motion was summarily denied by the original panel, as were his motions for panel and en banc reconsideration. United States v. Harris, No. 200401897, unpublished order (N.M.Ct.Crim. App. 20 Feb 2007).

Our superior court found an abuse of discretion in denying these motions without first having reviewed the Code 13 administrative file. The order returning this matter directs reconsideration of the appellant’s motions by a new panel, after that panel has reviewed the Code 13 file related to the appellant’s allegations.1

We have examined the entire record of trial, the appellant’s briefs, the Government’s responses, and the administrative file disposing of the appellant’s ethics complaint. Because we have granted the appellant’s motion to reconsider as a matter of our discretion, we have re-examined his originally assigned errors.2 We conclude that the findings and 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(e), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 859(a) and 866(c).

Background

The facts of this matter are somewhat lengthy. We, therefore, begin with a brief background description, and we will recite additional facts as needed to address allegations of error in subsequent sections of this opinion.

In February 2003, the appellant was seen digging in his neighbor’s yard, in the rain, dressed only in shorts. The local police arrested him, and took him to the police station. The appellant’s command was notified and sent several personnel, including a corpsman, to retrieve the appellant. Those command personnel noted that the appellant was agitated, and that he was making strange statements, such as he was “digging for diamonds” and someone was trying to kill him. In route to the local hospital, he admitted ingesting methamphetamine. He repeated his strange story to the civilian hospital personnel and remained highly agitated during his treatment at the emergency room. He also admitted to the emergency room nurse that he had eaten methamphetamine.

Upon return to his command after his hospital treatment, the appellant was direct[784]*784ed to provide a urine sample. When the appellant’s urine tested positive for methamphetamine, his commanding officer initiated administrative separation board proceedings. During the course of these proceedings, the appellant complained that the Navy judge advocate representing the Government, LT C, had intimidated a defense witness, Mr. Foster, into recanting a statement in which he had admitted putting methamphetamine in the appellant’s drink without the appellant’s knowledge. Following the retraction by his witness, the appellant demanded trial by special court-martial. The commanding officer accommodated that demand, terminated the administrative board processing, and referred the case to a special court-martial with two Navy judge advocates as prosecutors, neither of whom was LT C.

At trial, the appellant again raised allegations of misconduct by LT C, and he sought to block the Government’s introduction of Mr. Foster’s retraction. The military judge ruled against the appellant and admitted both of Mr. Foster’s statements. Still in the midst of trial, the appellant filed an ethics complaint against LT C. That complaint, forwarded in accordance with governing directives to OJAG Code 13, included a 30-page document in which the appellant described the proceedings of his special court-martial up to that date, and he once again alleged witness intimidation by LT C, among other misconduct.

I. Recusal

A. Additional Facts

As noted, ethics complaints against Navy judge advocates are submitted to OJAG Code 13 for processing. The OJAG Code 13 Ethics Branch Head receives and assembles documentation to complete the administrative package for action by the Division Director or his senior, the Rules Counsel, or by the Judge Advocate General, depending on the nature of final action. At the time the appellant submitted his complaint, Lieutenant Commander Barbara Hanna, JAGC, USN, was the Ethics Branch Head; Captain Eric Geiser, JAGC, USN, was the Director, Administrative Law Division; and Captain Jane Dalton, JAGC, USN, was Rules Counsel.

The appellant’s assertion that Senior Judge Geiser was “deeply involved in the appellant’s case” is simply not supported by the Code 13 file. Appellant’s Supplemental Brief of 22 Jan 2008 at 4. Captain Geiser’s personal role in the processing of the appellant’s ethics complaint can be succinctly described as having included two actions: first, in his capacity as Division Director, he forwarded to the Rules Counsel the preliminary package assembled by Lieutenant Commander Hanna with a memo “concurring” with her recommendation that an ethics investigation should be conducted; and second, at the request of the Rules Counsel, Captain Geiser issued a letter, which he signed “by direction,” appointing a senior officer in the geographic area of the complaint to conduct an investigation into its merits. Captain Geiser then detached from the Administrative Law Division and joined this court. His successor and the successor Rules Counsel received the results of the investigation months later and took final action, dismissing the appellant’s complaint.

B. Principles of Law

Ordinarily, recusal decisions are made by the judge who is the object of a motion to recuse. 28 U.S.C. § 455 provides for specific circumstances under which a military Service court of criminal appeals judge “shall disqualify himself.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
66 M.J. 781, 2008 CCA LEXIS 272, 2008 WL 2938655, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-harris-nmcca-2008.