I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5257 
To provide for a career military justice litigation track for judge advocates 
in the Armed Forces. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2016 
Mr. ZINKE (for himself and Mr. DESANTIS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To provide for a career military justice litigation track for 
judge advocates in the Armed Forces. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Justice for Victims 
of Military Sexual Assault Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CAREER MILITARY JUSTICE LITIGATION TRACK 
FOR JUDGE ADVOCATES. 
(a) CAREER LITIGATION TRACK REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of each mili-
tary department shall establish a career military jus-
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tice litigation track for judge advocates in the 
Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the Sec-
retary. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary of the 
Army and the Secretary of the Air Force shall estab-
lish the litigation track required by this section in 
consultation with the Judge Advocate General of the 
Army and the Judge Advocate General of the Air 
Force, respectively. The Secretary of the Navy shall 
establish the litigation track in consultation with the 
Judge Advocate General of the Navy and the Staff 
Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine 
Corps. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—Each career litigation track under 
this section shall provide for the following: 
(1) Assignment and advancement of qualified 
judge advocates in and through assignments and bil-
lets relating to the practice of military justice under 
chapter 47 of title 10, United States Code (the Uni-
form Code of Military Justice). 
(2) Establishing for each Armed Force the as-
signments and billets covered by paragraph (1), 
which shall include trial counsel, defense counsel, 
military trial judge, military appellate judge, aca-
demic instructor, all positions within criminal law of-
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fices or divisions of such Armed Force, Special Vic-
tims Prosecutor, Victims’ Legal Counsel, Special 
Victims’ Counsel, and such other positions as the 
Secretary of the military department concerned shall 
specify. 
(3) For judge advocates participating in such 
litigation track, mechanisms as follows: 
(A) To prohibit a judge advocate from 
more than a total of four years of duty or as-
signments outside such litigation track. 
(B) To prohibit any adverse assessment of 
a judge advocate so participating by reason of 
such participation in the promotion of officers 
through grade O–6 (or such higher grade as the 
Secretary of the military department concerned 
shall specify for purposes of such litigation 
track). 
(4) Such additional requirements and qualifica-
tions for the litigation track as the Secretary of the 
military department concerned considers appro-
priate, including requirements and qualifications 
that take into account the unique personnel needs 
and requirement of an Armed Force. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE.—Each Secretary 
of a military department shall implement the career litiga-
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tion track required by this section for the Armed Forces 
under the jurisdiction of such Secretary by not later than 
18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, each Secretary of a military 
department shall submit to the Committees on Armed 
Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives 
a report on the progress of such Secretary in imple-
menting the career litigation track required under this sec-
tion for the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such 
Secretary. 
Æ 
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