§946a Art. 146a. Annual Reports

Summary

By December 31 each year, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces must send a report about the previous fiscal year. It must say how many cases were finished and how many are still pending, and it can include any other information it thinks is useful about how the system is working. By December 31 each year, the Judge Advocates General and the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps must each send a report about the preceding fiscal year. Their reports must give data on pending and completed cases, including basic demographics of victims and accused, the offenses charged, types of court-martial, and case outcomes (including nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations). They must report on appellate review matters such as meeting processing time goals, cases reversed for command influence or denial of speedy review or remitted for lost records or other problems, and any cases where a law was found unconstitutional or a court found a verdict was clearly against the weight of the evidence (with the review standard explained). The reports must also describe steps taken to make sure judge advocates can serve as trial and defense counsel, military judges, and Special Victims’ Counsel, noting actions for capital, national security, sexual assault, and military commission cases. Each report must state the reporter’s view on whether there are enough people, money, training, and the right officer and enlisted ranks to do the work. Reports may include other appropriate topics. Each report must be sent to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the military departments, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating when it is not operating as a service in the Navy.