United States v. Treadwell

7 M.J. 864, 1979 CMR LEXIS 635
CourtU.S. Army Court of Military Review
DecidedJune 28, 1979
DocketCM 437141
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 7 M.J. 864 (United States v. Treadwell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Army 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. Treadwell, 7 M.J. 864, 1979 CMR LEXIS 635 (usarmymilrev 1979).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

FULTON, Senior Judge:

The case before us is a rehearing that resulted in a finding of guilty, with no approved sentence. Because of an issue pertaining to the staff judge advocate’s post-trial review, The Judge Advocate General referred the case to this Court under Article 69, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. § 869 (1976).

Appellant was first tried in September 1977 on charges of assault with intent to commit rape, communicating a threat, and the lesser charges of failing to obey orders and failing to report to a place of duty. The minor charges were on motion severed without prejudice. The appellant was acquitted of communicating a threat and, as to the assault charged, was found guilty only of the lesser included offense of indecent assault. The adjudged sentence included a bad-conduct discharge, confinement at hard labor for 18 months, and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. When the record of trial proved to be nonverbatim due to recording equipment failure, the convening authority set aside the findings and sentence and ordered a rehearing.

After a new formal pretrial investigation (Art. 32, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 832 (1976)) and pretrial advice by the staff judge advocate, appellant was again brought to trial on rehearing in January 1978. The charges included not only the indecent assault, but also the previously-severed charges of failure to obey and failure to repair — violations of Articles 134, 92, and 86, Uniform Code of Military Justice, respectively, 10 U.S.C. §§ 934, 892, 886 (1976). This time, the court convicted appellant only of a failure to repair to his appointed place of duty. He was sentenced to be restricted to his company area for 30 days and to forfeit $100.00 pay per month for two months. Evidently in consideration of periods appellant already had spent in pretrial and post-trial confinement, the convening authority, although approving the findings of guilty, approved no sentence. He ordered that all rights, privileges, and property adversely affected by the first trial be restored. A summarized [866]*866record of trial was forwarded to The Judge Advocate General of the Army for review, and, as previously mentioned, has been referred to this Court.

Referral of the case to us developed from the fact that in his pretrial advice to the convening authority the staff judge advocate overstated the maximum punishment authorized. (His calculations omitted the fact that the maximum punishment for indecent assault — normally including a dishonorable discharge and confinement for five years — was limited to a bad-conduct discharge and eighteen months’ confinement by the results of the first trial. Art. 63(b), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 863(b) (1976).) When the defense moved for a new pretrial advice because of the erroneous information, the staff judge advocate was called as a witness for the prosecution. He testified that, although the maximum punishment was incorrectly stated in the written pretrial advice, he had corrected the error through oral advice to the convening authority before the charges were referred to trial. He also testified, despite some initial uncertainty, that the officer he advised was indeed the one who referred the charges and not one of the two other officers who had occupied the office of general court-martial convening authority at one stage or another.1 Because of the challenge to his pretrial advice (we assume; no reasons were given), the post-trial advice to the convening authority (i. e., the staff judge advocate’s review) was prepared and signed by an assistant staff judge advocate. See Article 61, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 861 (1976). The staff judge advocate did not adopt or expressly concur in the review, or, so far as the record shows, participate in the post-trial advice in any way. Cf. United States v. Stowe, 12 C.M.R. 657, 664-66 (A.F.B.R.1953).

The error asserted by appellant’s counsel is that the staff judge advocate was disqualified from rendering the post-trial advice to the convening authority and, therefore, the assistant staff judge advocate was, too. If so, the question also arises whether the disqualification was waived by trial defense counsel’s failure to object to the staff judge advocate’s review on that basis.

In his rebuttal to the post-trial review— an opportunity afforded pursuant to United States v. Goode, 1 M.J. 3 (C.M.A.1975) — the trial defense counsel rightly complained about the inexplicable failure of the reviewer to mention the defense’s motion challenging the pretrial advice and similar failure to mention that the staff judge advocate had testified in opposition to the motion, but the trial defense counsel did not challenge the assistant staff judge advocate’s qualifications or standing to render the post-trial advice.

As to the staff judge advocate’s own disqualification from rendering the post-trial advice to the convening authority, the Court of Military Appeals has said that it is only “[w]here the pretrial adviser misstates a material fact, omits a material fact, arrives at an erroneous factual conclusion, or makes a misstatement of law material to the convening authority’s resolution, [that] he is disqualified as the post-trial reviewer.” United States v. Collins, 6 M.J. 256, 257 (C.M.A.1979) (Fletcher, C. J.). “Stated differently,” Chief Judge Fletcher said, “the proper standard requires that if the pretrial advice is correct in all material aspects, both those of fact and law, then the drafter is not disqualified to act as the post-trial reviewer.” Id.

We cannot, however, resolve this matter solely on the question whether the incorrect pretrial advice could be and was corrected by proper oral advice,2 because, in [867]*867this case, the staff judge advocate was called upon not merely to review his pretrial advice; he was required to determine the credibility of his own testimony.

Staff judge advocates, and convening authorities too, occasionally are called upon to testify in trials by court-martial. As to their eligibility thereafter to participate in the review process, the Court of Military Appeals has said:

This Court has recognized that there could be situations where the act of testifying as a witness does not automatically result in the person forfeiting his impartiality and thereby becoming disqualified to review the trial. . . . [Disqualification depends on whether the convening authority is put in the position of weighing his testimony against or in light of other evidence which conflicts with or modifies his own. Furthermore, this test is controlling in the case of a staff judge advocate to the reviewing authority. .

United States v. Choice, 23 U.S.C.M.A. 329, 331, 49 C.M.R. 663, 665 (1975); accord, United States v. Reed, 2 M.J. 64, 68 (C.M.A.1976); United States v. Ward, 1 M.J. 18, 19 (C.M.A.1975); United States v. Pounds, 50 C.M.R. 441 (A.F.C.M.R.1975).3

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Bluebook (online)
7 M.J. 864, 1979 CMR LEXIS 635, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-treadwell-usarmymilrev-1979.