Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73
§7037 Judge Advocate General, Deputy Judge Advocate General, and general officers of Judge Advocate General’s Corps: appointment; duties
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle B— - Army › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION › Chapter CHAPTER 705— - THE ARMY STAFF › § 7037
Summary
The President picks the Judge Advocate General, the Deputy Judge Advocate General, and the general officers of the Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps. The Senate must approve those picks, and the Secretary of the Army must recommend them. The Judge Advocate General and the Deputy serve four-year terms. The Judge Advocate General must be a member of a Federal or a State high court bar and have at least eight years doing legal work as a commissioned officer. Under rules set by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army, the Army should use a recommendation board that follows normal military board procedures when possible. The Judge Advocate General must advise the Secretary of the Army and Army leaders, lead JAG Corps members, and handle records of courts of inquiry and military commissions. No one in the Department of Defense may block or influence the Judge Advocate General or Army lawyers when they give independent legal advice. If the Judge Advocate General is removed early, the Secretary of Defense must tell the Senate and House Armed Services Committees within five days and explain why.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §7037
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint the Judge Advocate General, the Deputy Judge Advocate General, and general officers of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, from officers of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, who are recommended by the Secretary of the Army. The term of office of the Judge Advocate General and the Deputy Judge Advocate General is four years.
(b)The Judge Advocate General shall be appointed from those officers who at the time of appointment are members of the bar of a Federal court or the highest court of a State, and who have had at least eight years of experience in legal duties as commissioned officers.
(c)The Judge Advocate General, in addition to other duties prescribed by law—
(1)is the legal adviser of the Secretary of the Army and of all officers and agencies of the Department of the Army;
(2)shall direct the members of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in the performance of their duties; and
(3)shall receive, revise, and have recorded the proceedings of courts of inquiry and military commissions.
(d)Under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, in selecting an officer for recommendation to the President under subsection (a) for appointment as the Judge Advocate General or Deputy Judge Advocate General, shall ensure that the officer selected is recommended by a board of officers that, insofar as practicable, is subject to the procedures applicable to selection boards convened under chapter 36 of this title.
(e)No officer or employee of the Department of Defense may interfere with—
(1)the ability of the Judge Advocate General to give independent legal advice to the Secretary of the Army or the Chief of Staff of the Army; or
(2)the ability of judge advocates of the Army assigned or attached to, or performing duty with, military units to give independent legal advice to commanders.
(f)If the Judge Advocate General is removed from office before the end of the term of the Judge Advocate General as specified in subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall, not later than five days after the removal takes effect, submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives notice that the Judge Advocate General is being removed and a statement of the reason for the removal.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
1956 Act Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3037(a) 3037(b)3037(c)10:21h(c).10:61a.50:741.10:62.10:62a.10:63.
June 28, 1950, ch. 383, § 208(c), 64 Stat. 267.
June 24, 1948, ch. 625, §§ 248, 249, 62 Stat. 643.
May 5, 1950, ch. 169, § 13, 64 Stat. 147. R.S. 1199.
June 23, 1874, ch. 458, § 2, 18 Stat. 244. R.S. 1201. In subsection (a), the words “Notwithstanding any other provision of law” and “for such positions” are omitted as surplusage. The last sentence is substituted for 10:61a (last sentence). 10:21h(c) is omitted as covered by 10:61a. In subsection (b), the words “Hereafter” and “exclusive of the present incumbents” are omitted as surplusage. In subsection (c), the words “In addition to duties elsewhere prescribed for him by law”, in 10:62, are omitted as surplusage. The words “and perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Army”, in 10:62, are omitted as superseded by section 3012(e) and 3036(d) of this title. Clause (2) is substituted for 10:62a (words after semicolon) and 63. The Act of
June 23, 1874, ch. 458, § 2 (words before semicolon of 1st sentence, and last sentence), 18 Stat. 244, are not contained in 10:62. They are also omitted from the revised section as superseded by section 3037(a) and 3211 of this title. 1958 ActThe change corrects an inadvertence. The source statute for section 3036(c) of title 10 (the third sentence of sec. 513(a) of the Officer Personnel Act of 1947, 61 Stat. 901), providing for a 4-year term of office, applied also to the Judge Advocate General and the Assistant Judge Advocate General. As restated in section 3036(c), it now applies only to the officers named in section 3036(b), which excludes the two officers named. For this reason, the effect of the source statute with respect to those officers is added to section 3037(a), relating to their appointment.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2025—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 119–60 added subsec. (f). 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 3037 of this title as this section. 2016—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–328 struck out last two sentences which read as follows: “The Judge Advocate General, while so serving, has the grade of lieutenant general. An officer appointed as Deputy Judge Advocate General who holds a lower regular grade shall be appointed in the regular grade of major general.” 2008—Pub. L. 110–181, § 543(a)(3)(A), amended section catchline generally, substituting “Deputy” for “Assistant”. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–181, § 543(a)(1), (2)(A), substituted “Deputy Judge Advocate General” for “Assistant Judge Advocate General” wherever appearing and substituted “The Judge Advocate General, while so serving, has the grade of lieutenant general.” for “The Judge Advocate General, while so serving, shall hold a grade not lower than major general.” Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–181, § 543(a)(2)(B), substituted “Deputy Judge Advocate General” for “Assistant Judge Advocate General”. 2006—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 109–163, § 508(a), substituted “The Judge Advocate General, while so serving, shall hold a grade not lower than major general. An officer appointed as Assistant Judge Advocate General who holds a lower regular grade shall be appointed in the regular grade of major general.” for “If an officer who is so appointed holds a lower regular grade, he shall be appointed in the regular grade of major general.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–163, § 1057(a)(2), struck out “or Territory” after “a State”. 2004—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–375, § 574(a)(1), substituted “The term of office of the Judge Advocate General and the Assistant Judge Advocate General is four years.” for “An officer appointed as the Judge Advocate General or Assistant Judge Advocate General normally holds office for four years. However, the President may terminate or extend the appointment at any time.” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 108–375, § 574(a)(2), added subsec. (e). 1994—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 103–337 added subsec. (d). 1958—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 85–861 provided that the Judge Advocate General or Assistant Judge Advocate General shall normally hold office for four years, and empowered the President to terminate or extend the appointment at any time.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of
Amendments
and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1958 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 85–861 effective Aug. 10, 1956, see section 33(g) of Pub. L. 85–861, set out as a note under section 101 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 7037
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73