Court Opinion

ID: 9837021
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-02 03:16:01.103662+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:45:19.839629
License: Public Domain

SULLIVAN, Judge
(concurring in the result):
The majority makes no attempt to reconcile its decision today with its decision in United States v. Jefferson, 44 MJ 312, 322 (1996). Instead, the majority forgoes the Jefferson “further inquiry ... on a critical issue” test for an abuse-of-discretion standard focusing on defense counsel’s failure in this case to ask the challenged questions as part of group voir dire. This is the point I made with my dissent in Jefferson, supra at 323 (“Defense inaction simply does not establish a judicial abuse of discretion.”). In this light, I agree that no error occurred with respect to LTC Russi, CPT Dougherty, and CPTAli.
As for MAJ Burry, I agree that the military judge did not abuse his discretion in refusing to allow additional voir dire of this member on her prior training.