Haditha Update: Wuterich To Appeal Ruling On CBS Tape

Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich is one of the Marines charged with a crime relating to the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq.  Previously, the government attempted to subpoena unaired portions of an interview he did with CBS, for the program 60 Minutes.  The military judge denied the request for the tapes.  The government appealed [...]

Haditha Update: LtCol Jeffrey Chessani Charges Dismissed

In a hearing on 17JUN08, a military judge, Col Stephen Folsom, USMC, dismissed all charges against LtCol Jeffrey Chessani. Col Folsom ruled that the decision to charge LtCol Chessani was a product of unlawful command influence (UCI). Col Folsom ruled,
the participation of Col. John Ewers as an investigator and report writer in the [...]

Haditha Update: LtCol Chessani Charges May Be Dropped

Defense lawyers for LtCol Jeffrey Chessani believe all charges may be dropped. They base this on a signal from the military judge, Col Folsom, who previously scheduled a hearing for two days and has now changed the session to last one hour. At this session the military judge will rule on the motion [...]

Haditha Update: Lt Grayson Not Guilty

Lt Andrew Grayson was acquitted on 4JUN08.
According to reports:
Cheers erupted as the seven-officer panel cleared 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson, who was the first of three Marines to be tried in the biggest U.S. criminal case involving Iraqi deaths linked to the war. The verdict came just five hours after deliberations began.
Two Marines still face courts-martial [...]

Blackwater v. Judge Ryan: Malpractice Suit Dismissed

That litigious private army Blackwater had their malpractice suit against Wiley Rein and C.A.A.F. Judge Margaret A. Ryan dismissed by the D.C. Superior Court. Blackwater filed the lawsuit in January 2008, claiming Wiley lawyers, including Judge Ryan, neglected critical case law while defending a wrongful-death case brought on behalf of four Blackwater employees [...]

Haitha Update: Court-Martial Of Lt Grayson, Days 2 & 3

During the first day of trial, Lt Grayson’s defense counsel, Maj William Santmyer, told the jury

“Lieutenant Grayson is nothing more than a fall guy in a botched investigation under intense media pressure,”

The prosecution maintains that Lt Grayson lied to investigators to help cover up the killing of civilians in [...]

Civilian Contractor: First To Be Tried By Court-Martial

Alaa “Alex” Mohammad Ali is a civilian contractor charged with stabbing another civilian contractor. Alex will be the first civilian tried under the 2006 amendment to the UCMJ.
Alex is a citizen of both Iraq and Canada. He was hired as a interpreter by the U.S. Military. Alex will be provided with a [...]

Haditha Update: Court-Martial Of Lt Andrew Grayson, Day 1

The court-martial of Marine intelligence officer 1stLt Andrew Grayson began on 28MAY08. Lt Grayson is
accused of ordering a subordinate to delete photographs of the scene at Haditha, and making false official statements relating to the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq. Lt Grayson is also charged with attempting to fraudulently leave the [...]

Guantanamo Bay Military Prison: Not So Easy To Close

The call to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay has emanated from may groups, including Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen. The only problem with this call to action, is what to do with the detainees that are currently housed there. As [...]

Haditha Update: Trial Set For Lt Andrew Grayson

The court martial of Lt Andrew Grayson is set to begin on 28MAY08. Lt Grayson charges for dereliction of duty, false official statement, and obstructing justice. All of the charges relate to his failure to investigate the events surrounding the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
yojoe out
For more on Haditha:

Haditha
Haditha Update: History [...]

Haditha Update: Chessani Judge Finds Unlawful Command Influence

In a hearing aboard Camp Pendleton, a military judge, Col Folsom found that “top Marine Corps officers were unlawfully influenced by a general’s legal adviser when they decided to file criminal charges against a colonel whose troops killed two dozen civilians in the Iraqi city of Haditha in 2005″
This ruling came in the court-martial of [...]

The Ninth Circuit Rules On “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

The Ninth Circuit released an opinion challenging the U.S. Military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. The case involves an Air Force nurse suspended from her duties for having a relationship with a civilian woman.
The court adopts a new standard of scrutiny,

Under this review, we must determine not whether DADT has some hypothetical, posthoc rationalization [...]