Case Name: UNITED STATES, Appellee v. WOODROW NIX, Specialist Four, U. S. Army, Appellant
Court: United States Court of Military Appeals
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 1971-10-22
Citations: 21 C.M.A. 76
Docket Number: No. 24,532
Parties: UNITED STATES, Appellee v WOODROW NIX, Specialist Four, U. S. Army, Appellant
Judges: Senior Judge Ferguson concurs.
Reporter: Decisions of the United States Court of Military Appeals
Volume: 21
Pages: 76–77

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES, Appellee v WOODROW NIX, Specialist Four, U. S. Army, Appellant
21 USCMA 76, 44 CMR 130
No. 24,532
October 22, 1971
Colonel George J. McCartin, Jr., Captain Albert J. Mainelli, Jr., and Captain Norman L. Blumenfeld were on the pleadings for Appellant, Accused.
Colonel David T. Bryant, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald M. Holdaway, and Captain Steven Mallis were on the pleadings for Appellee, United States.

Opinion:
Opinion of the Court
Darden, Chief Judge:
If an accused indicates after a court is called to order that he desires a military judge alone to try him, the court-martial must be recessed and the request executed in writing. United States v Dean, 20 USCMA 212, 43 CMR 52 (1970).
In this case, however, the written request followed the testimony of one witness. This procedure does not comply with the holding in Dean, supra, since acceptance of the written request is a jurisdictional prerequisite. Under Dean we do not test for prejudice.
Accordingly, the decision of the Court of Military Review is reversed and the findings and sentence are set aside. The record of trial is returned to the Judge Advocate General of the Army. Another trial may be ordered.
Senior Judge Ferguson concurs.