United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

450 E Street, Northwest

Washington, D.C.  20442-0001

 

SCHEDULED HEARINGS

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Monday, January 11, 2010

 

9:30 a.m.        United States v. Frank D. Wuterich, No. 10-6001/MC

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Col. Dwight H. Sullivan, USMCR

                        Counsel for Appellee: LT Timothy H. Delgado, JAGC, USN

                        Counsel for Non-Party Appellee: Lee Levine, Esq.

 

Case Summary:  GCM prosecution for dereliction of duty and manslaughter.  At trial, the prosecution issued a subpoena to CBS Broadcasting, Inc. for outtakes of a 60 minutes interview of the Appellant, however, the military judge granted a motion filed by CBS to quash the subpoena.  The prosecution brought an appeal to the U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals under Article 62, UCMJ.  That court directed the military judge to conduct an in camera review over any material that CBS asserted a privilege, to develop a factual ad legal basis for CBS’s refusal to comply with the subpoena if any of the undisclosed material is relevant and necessary, and to address whether and to what extent any news-gathering privilege applied.  This Court vacated the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals and the order of the military judge quashing the Government’s subpoena.  It returned the case to the military judge for further consideration of whether relief should be granted to CBS Broadcasting, Inc., under R.C.M. 703, following the military judge’s in camera inspection of the requested material.  After reviewing the material in camera, the military judge again granted CBS’s motion to quash, finding that a newsgathering privilege applied.  The Government appealed.  The Court of Criminal Appeals vacated the military judge’s ruling, holding that the facts presented did not support the recognition of a reporter’s privilege.  The Judge Advocate General certified the following issues to the Court: (1) whether a “reporter’s privilege” applies in military courts-martial under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and Military Rule of Evidence 501(a) (1); (2) whether a “reporter’s privilege” applies in military courts-martial under Military Rule of Evidence 501(a) (4) as a principle of common law generally recognized in the trial of criminal cases in the United States District Courts pursuant to Rule 501 of the Federal Rules of Evidence; and (3) whether the military judge abused his discretion in applying a “reporter’s privilege” under Military Rule of Evidence 501 (a) (4) as the basis for quashing a Government subpoena for CBS’s nonbroadcast audio-video “outtakes” of an interview with the accused that were otherwise discoverable under Rule for Courts-Martial 703?

 

NOTE: Counsel for Appellant, Appellee, and Non-Party Appellee, CBS Broadcasting, Inc., will each be   allotted 20 minutes to present oral argument.



 

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

 

9:30 a.m.        United States v. James W. Sutton, No. 09-0458/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Gary Myers, Esq.

                        Counsel for Appellee: Capt Joseph Kubler, USAF

 

Case Summary:  GCM conviction of soliciting indecent liberties. Granted issue questions whether the military judge erred in denying the defense motion to suppress Appellant’s oral and written statements based on a violation of Article 31, UCMJ; an issue specified by the Court questions whether the facts charged in the specification are sufficient as a matter of law to support a charge for solicitation of indecent liberties with a child under Article 134, UCMJ, where the person solicited was that child.     

 

NOTE:  Counsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

 

Followed by:               United States v. James M. Green, No. 09-0523/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Capt Andrew J. Unsicker, USAF

                        Counsel for Appellee: Capt Michael T. Rakowski, USAF

 

             Case Summary:  GCM conviction of sodomy of a child, assault of a child and indecent acts with a child. Granted issues question (1) whether Appellant was                 denied his Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel; and (2) whether the lower court abused its discretion in failing to grant Appellant’s request             for CM’s mental health records from Lakeside Behavioral Health System.

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

 

 

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

 

9:30 a.m.        United States v. Benjamin W. Ross, No. 09-0242/MC

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: LT Sarah E. Harris, JAGC, USN

                        Counsel for Appellee: LT Timothy H. Delgado, JAGC, USN

 

Case Summary:  GCM conviction of knowingly and wrongfully possessing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Granted issue questions whether by finding the Appellant guilty of the Charge and specification except for the words “on divers occasions,” the military judge rendered ambiguous findings not capable of review under Article 66, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 866.

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

 

Followed by:               United States v. Christopher J. Roberts, No. 10-0030/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Maj Darrin K. Johns, USAF

                        Counsel for Appellee: Lt Col Jeremy S. Weber, USAF

 

Case Summary:  GCM conviction of rape, assault, and communicating a threat. Granted issue questions whether the military judge’s denial of Appellant’s Sixth Amendment right to confront a witness against him was harmless error when the judge prohibited Appellant from demonstrating that his wife, the alleged rape victim, had a motive to fabricate the issue of consent based on her extramarital romantic relationship that gave her an incentive to either get Appellant out of the picture or protect her extramarital relationship.

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.



Monday, January 25, 2010


9:30 a.m.        United States v. Charles S. Roach, No. 07-0870/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Dwight H. Sullivan, Esq.

                        Counsel for Appellee: Lt Col Jeremy S. Weber, USAF

 

Case summarySPCM conviction of use of cocaine and willful dereliction of duty by misuse of government travel card. Granted issues question (1) whether the Air Force Court erred by refusing to vacate its ruling in light of the actions of the Chief Judge regarding the appointment of his replacement after he had recused himself; (2) whether the Air Force Court erred by basing its sentence disparity analysis on Appellant’s and his co-actor’s adjudged sentences rather than their approved sentences; (3) whether the Air Force Court erred by denying Appellant’s motion to compel production of e-mails sent between the Chief Judge and Appellate Government Counsel about this case following the Chief Judge’s recusal; (4) whether Appellant’s due process right to reasonably prompt Appellate review was denied by the delay in this appeal arising from the Air Force Court’s processing of this appeal during its initial review.

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

 

Followed by:               United States v. Joshua C. Blazier, No. 09-0441/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Maj Lance J. Wood, USAF

                        Counsel for Appellee: Maj Coretta E. Gray, USAF

 

Case summary:  GCM conviction of use of ecstasy, methamphetamine, and marijuana and dereliction of duty.  Granted issue questions whether, in light of Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36 (2004), Appellant was denied meaningful cross-examination of government witnesses in violation of his Sixth Amendment right of confrontation when the military judge did not compel the government to produce essential Brooks Lab officials who handled Appellant’s urine samples and instead allowed the expert toxicologist to testify to non-admissible hearsay.  See Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts, 557 U.S. ___, 129 S. Ct. 2527 (2009).


NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

Tuesday, January 26, 2010


9:30 a.m.         United States v.Andrew J. Ferguson, No. 10-0020/AF

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Capt Jennifer J. Raab, USAF

                        Counsel for Appellee: Gerald R. Bruce, Esq.

 

Case summary:  GCM conviction of attempting to transfer obscene materials to a minor, communicating indecent language to a person believed to be a minor, indecent exposure and possession of child pornography. Granted issue questions whether Appellant’s plea to indecent exposure was provident. 

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 

 

Followed by:      United States v. Robert C. Huntzinger, No. 09-0589/AR

                                    (Appellee)       (Appellant)

 

                        Counsel for Appellant: Lt Col Matthew M. Miller, JA, USA

                        Counsel for Appellee: Capt James M. Hudson, JA, USA

 

Case summary:  GCM conviction of possession of adult and child pornography. Granted issues question (1) whether the military judge erred in concluding that no soldier at Forward Operating Base (FOB)  loyalty had reasonable expectation of privacy in any regard; (2) whether the military judge erred in denying a motion to suppress Appellant’s external hard drive and password protected laptop when the commander who ordered the seizure of the equipment immediately searched the equipment upon seizure, demonstrating that he was performing law enforcement functions and was not neutral and detached when seizing the items; (3) whether the doctrine of inevitable discovery is applicable when there are no independent police activities, or testimony or evidence of routine police practices, that would have inevitably resulted in discovery, and no other exception to the Fourth Amendment applies.

 

NOTECounsel for each side will be allowed 20 minutes to present oral argument.

 


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