Peru's Manchay Case -- civil v. military justice

You can find a worthwhile YouTube video here. Which cases should be tried in military court -- and which should not?

Trial judiciary caseload per judge per month

According to the most recent annual reports of The Judge Advocates General, in FY2025 the armed forces' 116 trial judges conducted a total of 1191 general, special and "short" courts-martial. Counting the reserve judges as 1/12 because they likely only serve on active duty for about one month per year, produces an adjusted total "purple" trial judiciary of 82.1 judges and an average caseload of only 14.51 cases/judge or 1.21 cases/judge/month. Both averages would be slightly higher if any of the Coast Guard's 10 military judges were reservists. Unlike the other annual reports, the Coast Guard's report does not distinguish between active and reserve component judges.

You can call it a decrescendo or a diminuendo, but the numbers are falling. For FY19, the average caseload per judge was 20.75 (1.73 cases/judge/month); for CY22, it was 16.19, or 1.35 cases/judge/month. What does the prediction market tell us for FY26?

Are there too many military judges?

Transforming domains: Space, military justice, and the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 2050

A retired Air Force JA has this rather interesting article. Todd Pennington, Transforming domains: Space, military justice, and the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 2050. The Space Review, 6 July 2026.

Two phenomena with inexorable momentum today will continue on their current trajectories for the foreseeable future. By 2050, I predict they will drive changes in the Air Force and the Space Force resulting in a Judge Advocate General’s Corps dramatically different from the one we know today. These two phenomena are the growth of the US Space Force (and the “space domain”) and the decline of the military justice system (and the “military justice domain”).

You might read this article for additional context. Dwight H. Sullivan, The Military Justice Decrescendo, 68 Vill. L. Rev. 849 (2024).

Where will this Spanish case be tried?

The civilian director general of Spain's Civil Guard and its uniformed deputy director of operations are both facing legal proceedings on suspicion of administrative misconduct and obstruction of justice. The deputy director could wind up in a military court instead of the National Court if he is charged with military offenses. The question may have to be decided by the Supreme Court. El Independiente has the story here.

Exam Questions

If you were drafting a charge sheet, what UCMJ offenses would you include in Major Jason Watson's case? If you were defending, what would you argue? What sentence would you expect if he is convicted?

Attorney Cody Harnish has this to say.