Posse Comitatus

**"Posse Comitatus"** is an episode of *JAG* that first aired on DATE. Directed by DIRECTOR. Written by WRITER.

Major Tunney (Jeffrey Pierce), flying around in a Super Cobra helicopter, happens upon a stand-off at a barn in Yuma, Arizona, between tax delinquent Bradley Cale (John Dennis Johnston) and the local police, led by Sheriff Brad Driskell (Wade Williams).

Tunney was probably not aware that Cale had a hostage, Deputy Sheriff Linda Foyo (Nicki Micheaux). Tunney fires 20mm rounds at Cale, indirectly leading to Foyo being injured.

Since the Posse Comitatus Act forbids military involvement in law enforcement activities on U. S. soil, except under very narrowly defined circumstances, Tunney might be in violation of Article 92 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which requires him to obey lawful regulations like the Posse Comitatus Act. Thus Tunney's subject to court-martial.

Admiral Chegwidden sends Commander Rabb to defend and Lt. Colonel MacKenzie to prosecute in a hearing to determine if a court-martial should be convened. In the interest of transparency, Mac asks for a public venue to hold the hearing. The town provides a room in the Pichaco Library.

After Rabb and Mac present their cases and question the witnesses, the hearing officer concludes that there's no need for a court-martial or any disciplinary action. The convening authority agrees partially: Tunney won't be court-martialed, but he'll be grounded and reassigned pending a flight evaluation board.

Meanwhile, Commander Turner (Scott Lawrence) represents Lt. Commander Bentley (Jeremy Davidson), a military doctor and reservist who files for conscientious objector status shortly before his reserve unit is to deploy to Iraq, on account of his conversion to the Quaker faith.

The vast majority of Bentley's private practice patients are either servicemembers or dependents of servicemembers. Bentley married a Quaker woman a year ago and became a committed pacifist. Even serving as a doctor in a battlefield hospital would be contrary to his religious beliefs.

Turner calls on his father, Captain Turner (Bill Cobbs), a Baptist chaplain, to interview Bentley and gauge the sincerity of the doctor's religious conviction. The chaplain concludes that Bentley is a genuine conscientious objector.

Lt. Roberts is the investigating officer; he's skeptical of Bentley's conversion but reluctantly recommends the convening authority grant the requested status.

Bentley's true colors show when Roberts demands that as a condition of his separation from the Navy, he no longer treat patients with military insurance, forcing him to rebuild his customer base from scratch, maybe even bankrupting him.

Bentley asks Turner if Roberts can really kick him off the military health provider network. Turner says it can be appealed, but not treating servicemembers and their dependents would be more consistent with Bentley's stated beliefs.

As Bentley leaves in a huff, Roberts admits that for a moment he believed Bentley was sincere. Turner's been having a crisis of faith, and says to Roberts that if he never has faith in people, he will never be disappointed.

Lt. Sims (Karri Turner) gets a call from the Office of the Inspector General. Her husband, Lt. Roberts, worries that her "temporary" additional duty at JAG headquarters that has so far lasted three years could come to an end.

But it's actually the USO calling, they want Sims to wrangle celebrities for USO tours. Sims can continue her "temporary" duty at JAG headquarters indefinitely.