The Third Edition of this textbook (formerly Maggs and Schenck's Modern Military Justice) comprehensively covers the modern military justice system of the United States under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It has been updated to address significant changes made in the 2019 Manual for Courts-Martial, the Military Justice Act of 2016, and other recent legislation. The materials included come from every Service within the Armed Forces and show how the military justice system addresses criminal offenses, ranging from minor infractions to serious offenses such as the misconduct of soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison. The text covers the jurisdiction of courts-martial; sources of military law; the role of judge advocates; military offenses and defenses; pre-trial, trial, and appellate military justice (criminal) procedures; nonjudicial punishment and other alternatives to courts-martial; expanding military justice including trial of civilians by courts-martial; the relationship of courts-martial to state and federal courts; and much more. All chapters include policy questions about currently controversial issues. The text is appropriate for all students, whether or not they have had prior military experience.


Imprint: West Academic Publishing
Series: American Casebook Series
Publication Date: 04/29/2019

Lisa M. Schenck, George Washington University Law School

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The Third Edition includes 17 new cases and updates that address the significant changes made in the 2019 Manual for Courts-Martial, the Military Justice Act of 2016, and other recent legislation, regarding court-martial procedures, post-trial processing, and substantive criminal law. New chapters have been added to address inappropriate-conduct offenses and rape and other sex crimes. The chapter regarding expanding military justice provides a more extensive description of trial of civilians under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act of 2000, which gives federal courts jurisdiction over certain acts committed abroad. The chapter regarding military commissions has been removed.

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