AltLaw Beta: Free Boolean-searches of SCOTUS/Federal Courts of Appeal Decisions

AltLaw, the newest and one of the more promising internet legal resources to hit the scene, is now up and running and available for free public advanced searches of case law.
It’s a sort of Google for Supreme Court and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal decisions, and clearly holds promise to democratize the availability of relevant [...]

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Haditha Update: SJA Recuses Himself After Criticizing LtCol Ware

The Staff Judge Advocate, SJA, – the senior legal adviser, roughly equivalent to in-house counsel for a business – for LtGen Mattis removed himself form the case of LCpl Tatum. The SJA, LtCol Bill Riggs, contacted LtCol Ware and criticized him for holding the government to too high of a standard [...]

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NMCCA: US v. Ledbetter (Aug 07)

The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals released U.S. v. Ledbetter, No. 200500009, unpublished op. (N.M.Ct.Crim.App. 14 Aug 2007). SPCM, military judge alone, guilty pleas, Arts 80, 81, 91, 95, 108, and 134. Sentence: 5 months, E-1, forfeiture of $500 pay per month for 6 months, and BCD. Appellant claimed (1) improvident [...]

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Haditha Update: Article 32 Investigation for LtCol Chessani to Reopen

The Article 32 investigation into the actions of LtCol Chessani will be reopened on 8AUG07. The purpose of the hearing is to conduct further examination of evidence submitted during the original investigation in May 2007. The prosecutors recommended, to LtGen Mattis, that two additional charges of dereliction of duty [...]

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Lawyering Tip: RSS Legal Feeds

If any of you use RSS readers or depend on the internet for news related to your profession (or simply for enjoyment), you should be familiar with Netvibes. Netvibes is perhaps one of the more elegant and streamlined RSS readers out there. It’s been my intention to post a full review of the [...]

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Hamdania Update: Cpl Magincalda Acquitted of Murder and Kidnapping, Convicted of Conspiracy

The panel of members in the court-martial of Cpl Marshall L. Magincalda, USMC, returned a guilty verdict for the charges of larceny, housebreaking and conspiracy to commit the following: murder, kidnapping, larceny,obstruction of justice, false official statement and housebreaking. He was found not guilty of murder, kidnapping, and making a false official statement. Sentencing is scheduled [...]

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NMCCA: US v. Bossheart (Jul 07)

26 July 2007, Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals released U.S. v. Bossheart, No. 200602420, unpublished op. (N.M.Ct.Crim.App. 26 Jul 2007). GCM, military judge alone, guilty pleas to Arts 80 and 8 specs of 112a drug offenses. Sentence: 3 years, E-1, BCD. CAX approved but per PTA suspended all confinement in excess [...]

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Haditha Update: LCpl Tatum’s Article 32 the Final Day

In the final day of the Article 32 investigation into LCpl Tatum’s role in the action in Haditha, Iraq, both the prosecution and defense gave their respective summations of the case. The defense emphasized that,
You can’t sit back in an air-conditioned room at Camp Pendleton and second-guess these men. It’s [...]

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Haditha Update: LCp Tatum’s Article 32 Days 6 and 7

LCpl Tatum testified that he did not “know that there was women and children in that house until later . . . otherwise, I would have physically stopped everyone in that room from shooting.” This testimony came during his unsworn statement during an Article 32 investigation in his actions in [...]

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Gang Holds Top RPG Gamer at Gunpoint

Folha Online reports that using Orkut, Google’s online social network, an armed gang of four 19-27 year old- kidnapped the world-leading Role-Playing Gamer of the game GunBound (boy plays violent video game; others become violent; psychologists, have at it). One of the gang members’ girlfriends lured the gamer onto a fake date at a [...]

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Haditha Update: LCpl Tatum’s Article 32 Day 5

As the investigation moved into its fifth day Special Agent Micheal Maloney, of NCIS, was called as a witness by the prosecution. SA Maloney testified that 17 bullets had been fired by the Marines that day at Haditha, Iraq. The women were killed first and the children were shot [...]

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NMCCA: US v. Gladden (Jul 07)

U.S. v. Gladden, NMCCA 200600905 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App. 2007). SPCM for use of cocaine, Art. 112a. Appellant challenged the probable-cause determination underlying her command-directed urinalysis. Appellant was to begin a period of leave, but before leaving work she was informed that she had been selected to participate in the random urinalysis test. [...]

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Haditha Update: LCpl Tatum’s Article 32 Day 4

As the investigation into Marine LCpl Tatum and his role in the killings at Haditha, Iraq, the testimony turned to the forensics. Lt.Col. Elizabeth Rouse, USAF, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner, testified that she was not able to view the bodies, and she was only able to look at photographs. The photographs were taken [...]

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Hamandiya: Cpl Thomas Sentenced

Cpl Thomas was sentenced today, 20Jul07, to a bad-conduct discharge, and reduction to E-1. He was found guilty of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder. The Government had sought 15 years confinement.
For charges of this magnitude, this seems like a low sentence, as compared with other courts-martial for the same offenses. The members [...]

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AFCCA: US v. Burton (Jul 07)

16 July 2007, Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals released U.S. v. Burton, ACM 36296, (A.F.Ct.Crim.App. 16 Jul 2007). GCM, officer and enlisted members, contested, Arts 120, 125, and 134. Sentence: 8 years, E-1, DD. Convening Authority disapproved findings of guilty to indecent acts and consensual sodomy, and approved adjudged sentence, but reduced [...]

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