Annals of transparency

Carl Prine covers military justice for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Here he describes a case in which it took three months just to get a copy of the charges lodged against a Marine. He finally got what he sought two duty days before the trial. His article refers at one point to having to seek relief from "a special internal Navy administrative court." The phrase doesn't ring a bell -- perhaps a fancy way of saying he had to file an intra-agency FOIA appeal?

Timely media access to military justice records has been a problem for decades. The San Diego Recruit Depot seems not to have gotten the memo. Kudos to retired Marine Grant S. Lattin of the Navy's General Litigation Division for getting things back on track (and avoiding a needless FOIA lawsuit), but this simple matter should not have taken so long. Kudos also to the newspaper for standing its ground.

Moral: Matthew 7:7.