§2004 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

Summary

Each military department can send commissioned officers and certain enlisted members to accredited law schools in the United States so they can earn a juris doctor. The department can pay school costs under rules set by the Secretary of the military department and the Secretary of Defense, but no more than 25 funded students may start in any one fiscal year from each department. The department may also send people without paying school costs; those unpaid students do not count toward the 25-person limit. To join, a service member must be a U.S. citizen. For paid spots, officers must have served at least 2 but not more than 6 years and be O‑3 or below when training starts; enlisted must have served at least 4 but not more than 10 years and be E‑5, E‑6, or E‑7. For unpaid spots, officers may have served 2 to 8 years and be O‑3 or below; enlisted rules stay the same. Enlisted candidates must meet requirements to be commissioned. Participants must sign an agreement to finish law school, become a judge advocate in their department when done, and serve on active duty afterward: two years of service for each year (or part of a year) of training if the government paid schooling, or one year of service for each year (or part of a year) if it did not. Choices are made competitively. Program costs come from the department’s appropriated funds. If someone is removed for poor conduct or grades, they may be ordered to perform active duty in a suitable role, but never for more than one year for each year (or part of a year) they were in the program. No new agreements can be made while the President is legally allowed to order involuntary induction into the armed forces.

Title 10, §2004

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)The Secretary of each military department may, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, detail commissioned officers and enlisted members of the armed forces as students at accredited law schools, located in the United States, for a period of training leading to the degree of juris doctor.

(2)Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, the Secretary of a military department may fund educational expenses for members of the armed forces detailed under paragraph (1). Not more than 25 officers and enlisted members from each military department may commence such training in any single fiscal year.

(3)Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary concerned, the Secretary of a military department may also detail members under paragraph (1) without funding any educational expenses. A member detailed pursuant to this paragraph shall not count against the limitation in paragraph (2).

(b)To be eligible for detail under subsection (a), an officer or enlisted member must be a citizen of the United States and must—

(1)(A)in the case of a member with respect to whom the Secretary of a military department is providing funding for educational expenses in accordance with subsection (a)(2), either—

(i)have served on active duty for a period of not less than two years nor more than six years and be an officer in the pay grade O–3 or below as of the time the training is to begin; or

(ii)have served on active duty for a period of not less than four years nor more than 10 years and be an enlisted member in the pay grade E–5, E–6, or E–7 as of the time the training is to begin; or

(B)in the case of a member with respect to whom the Secretary of a military department is not providing funding for educational expenses in accordance with subsection (a)(3), either—

(i)have served on active duty for a period of not less than two years nor more than eight years and be an officer in the pay grade O-3 or below when the training is to begin; or

(ii)have served on active duty for a period of not less than four years nor more than ten years and be an enlisted member in the pay grade of E-5, E-6, or E-7 when the training is to begin;

(2)in the case of an enlisted member, meet all requirements for acceptance of a commission as a commissioned officer in the armed forces; and

(3)sign an agreement that unless sooner separated he will—

(A)complete the educational course of legal training;

(B)accept transfer or detail as a judge advocate within the department concerned when his legal training is completed; and

(C)agree to serve on active duty following completion or other termination of training for a period of—

(i)two years for each year or part thereof of legal training under subsection (a)(2); or

(ii)one year for each year or part thereof of legal training under subsection (a)(3).

(c)Officers and enlisted members detailed for legal training under subsection (a) shall be selected on a competitive basis by the Secretary of the military department concerned, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense. Any service obligation incurred by an officer or enlisted member under an agreement entered into under subsection (b) shall be in addition to any service obligation incurred by any such officer or enlisted member under any other provision of law or agreement.

(d)Expenses incident to the detail of officers and enlisted members under this section shall be paid from any funds appropriated for the military department concerned.

(e)An officer or enlisted member who, under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, is dropped from the program of legal training authorized by subsection (a) for deficiency in conduct or studies, or for other reasons, may be required to perform active duty in an appropriate military capacity in accordance with the active duty obligation imposed by regulations issued by the Secretary of Defense, except that in no case shall any such member be required to serve on active duty for any period in excess of one year for each year or part thereof he participated in the program.

(f)No agreement detailing any officer or enlisted member of the armed forces to an accredited law school may be entered into during any period that the President is authorized by law to induct persons into the armed forces involuntarily. Nothing in this subsection shall affect any agreement entered into during any period when the President is not authorized by law to so induct persons into the armed forces.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 119–60, § 551(a)(1)(A), substituted “with respect to whom the Secretary of a military department is providing funding for educational expenses in accordance with subsection (a)(2)” for “detailed pursuant to subsection (a)(1)” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 119–60, § 551(a)(1)(B), substituted “10 years” for “eight years”. Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 119–60, § 551(a)(2), substituted “with respect to whom the Secretary of a military department is not providing funding for educational expenses in accordance with subsection (a)(3)” for “detailed pursuant to subsection (a)(2)” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(3)(C)(i). Pub. L. 119–60, § 551(b)(1), substituted “subsection (a)(2)” for “subsection (a)(1)”. Subsec. (b)(3)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 119–60, § 551(b)(2), substituted “subsection (a)(3)” for “subsection (a)(2)”. 2024—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 118–159, § 552(a)(1), designated first sentence as par. (1), added pars. (2) and (3), and struck out former second sentence which read as follows: “No more than twenty-five officers and enlisted members from each military department may commence such training in any single fiscal year.” Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 118–159, § 552(a)(2)(A), inserted “(A) in the case of a member detailed pursuant to subsection (a)(1),” after “(1)”, redesignated subpars. (A) and (B) as cls. (i) and (ii), respectively, of subpar. (A), and added subpar. (B). Subsec. (b)(3)(C). Pub. L. 118–159, § 552(a)(2)(B), which directed substitution of “period of—” and cls. (i) and (ii) for “period of two years”, was executed by making the substitution for “period of two years for each year or part thereof of his legal training under subsection (a).”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 2021—Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 116–283 substituted “enlisted” for “enlistment”. 2019—Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(b)(1), substituted “Detail as students at law schools; commissioned officers; certain enlisted members” for “Detail of commissioned officers as students at law schools” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(1), inserted “and enlisted members” after “commissioned officers” and after “twenty-five officers” and struck out “bachelor of laws or” before “juris doctor”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(2)(A), inserted “or enlisted member” after “officer” in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(2)(B), added par. (1) and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: “have served on active duty for a period of not less than two years nor more than six years and be in the pay grade O–3 or below as of the time the training is to begin; and”. Subsec. (b)(2), (3). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(2)(C), (D), added par. (2) and redesignated former par. (2) as (3). Subsec. (b)(3)(B). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(2)(E), struck out “or law specialist” after “judge advocate”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(3), inserted “and enlisted members” after “Officers” and, in two places, inserted “or enlisted member” after “officer”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(4), inserted “and enlistment members” after “officers”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(5), inserted “or enlistment member” after “officer”. Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 116–92, § 551(a)(6), inserted “or enlisted member” after “officer”. 1990—Pub. L. 101–510 struck out “of the military departments” after “officers” in section catchline.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Temporary Expansion Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title V, § 552(b), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1894, provided that: “During each of the three years after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2024], the Secretary of a military department may fund educational expenses under section 2004(a) of such title [10 U.S.C. 2004(a)], as amended by subsection (a), for 35 members of such military department.” Selection of Officers in Missing Status for Legal Training on a Noncompetitive Basis; Exemption From Numerical Limitations Pub. L. 94–106, title VIII, § 821, Oct. 7, 1975, 89 Stat. 545, provided that: “Notwithstanding any provision of section 2004 of title 10 United States Code, an officer in any pay grade who was in a missing status (as defined in section 551(2) of title 37, United States Code) after

August 4, 1964, and before

May 8, 1975, may be selected for detail for legal training under that section 2004 on other than a competitive basis and, if selected for that training, is not counted in computing, for the purpose of subsection (a) of that section 2004, the number of officers who may commence that training in any single fiscal year. For the purposes of determining eligibility under that section 2004, the period of time during which an officer was in that missing status may be disregarded in computing the period he has served on active duty.”

§2004 Detail as students at law schools; commissioned officers; certain enlisted members