The Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals (AFCCA) is an independent appellate judicial body authorized by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

and established by the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force pursuant to the exclusive authority under (a). The Court hears and decides appeals of

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

conviction In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is Guilty (law), guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a ...

s and

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which Legal case, cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of cla ...

s '' pendente lite''. Its appellate judges are assigned to the Court by The Judge Advocate General. The Judge Advocate General instructs court-martial convening authorities to take action in accordance with the Court's decisions. The Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals is located at Andrews Air Force Base in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

Jurisdiction

The court conducts mandatory review of all courts-martial of Air Force members referred to the court (unless waived by the appellant) pursuant to Articles 62, 66, 69, and 73 of the

Uniform Code of Military Justice The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) is the foundation of the system of military justice of the armed forces of the United States. The UCMJ was established by the United States Congress in accordance with their constitutional authority ...

, and, when necessary in furtherance of its jurisdiction, reviews all petitions for extraordinary relief properly filed before it. This includes: #all trials by court-martial in which the sentence includes confinement for one year or longer, a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, dismissal of a commissioned officer or cadet, or death; #all cases reviewed by the Judge Advocate General of the Air Force and forwarded for review under UCMJ Article 69(d); #certain government appeals of orders or rulings of military trial judges that terminate proceedings, exclude

evidence Evidence for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the proposition is truth, true. The exact definition and role of evidence vary across different fields. In epistemology, evidence is what J ...

, or which concern the disclosure of

classified information Classified information is confidential material that a government deems to be sensitive information which must be protected from unauthorized disclosure that requires special handling and dissemination controls. Access is restricted by law or ...

; and #petitions for new trial referred by the Judge Advocate General; and #petitions for extraordinary relief, including

writ In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court. Warrant (legal), Warrants, prerogative writs, subpoenas, and ''certiorari'' are commo ...

s of ''

mandamus A writ of (; ) is a judicial remedy in the English and American common law system consisting of a court order that commands a government official or entity to perform an act it is legally required to perform as part of its official duties, o ...

'', writs of

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, writs of ''

habeas corpus ''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, and request the individual's custodian (usually a prison official) to ...

'', and writs of error '' coram nobis''. The next level of appeal from the AFCCA is the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.

Current Composition of the Court

The judges may be commissioned officers or civilians. , the Court is constituted as follows: *Chief Judge Karen E. Mayberry *Senior Judge John C. Johnson *Senior Judge Julie J.R. Huygen *Judge Richard A. Mink *Judge Naomi P. Dennis *Judge Tom E. Posch *Judge Michael A. Lewis *Judge James E. Key III *Reserve Judge Joseph S. Kiefer *Reserve Judge Lucy H. Carrillo *Reserve Judge Michael D. Schag

References

External links

Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals official homepageHistory of the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
United States Air Force Article I tribunals United States military courts Courts-martial in the United States 1968 establishments in the United States Courts and tribunals established in 1968 {{USAF-stub

Jurisdiction

Current Composition of the Court

See also

References

External links