Stated concisely, a general officer memorandum of reprimand (GOMOR) is issued by an Army General to an officer or enlisted member as a serious form of administrative action. We say “serious” because, although a GOMOR is considered “administrative” in nature, it can absolutely destroy a Soldier’s career and potentially lead to their separation from the Army.
Whether you are under UCMJ investigation, facing a court martial, NJP, Article 15, Captain’s Mast, Board of Inquiry (BOI), Administrative Separation Board, or some other adverse administrative action, finding the best military law attorney for your case is critical to achieving the most favorable outcome possible. Look for these factors for choosing the right civilian military law attorney for your defense.
The best civilian court martial lawyers don’t come cheap. Depending on the complexity of the case and the UCMJ charge (a sexual assault charge defense, for example, will generally be more complex than, say, a drug-use defense), the best court martial lawyers will likely charge anywhere from $40,000 to well over $100,000. This can be a life altering amount of money for many military service members and their families. Worse yet, it may be unaffordable for some, which is especially scary considering the oft cited line: “A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.”
By most accounts, it appears that decisions on military sexual assault prosecutions are going to be taken out of military commanders’ hands and given to independent military lawyers. Those in Congress who support this move believe it will lead to a reduction in the number of sexual assaults that occur in the Armed Forces each year. Whether that’s true or not is not the purpose of this article.
In a published opinion in United States v. Pyron (opinion available here), the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals set aside the conviction and 39-year sentence of a Navy Sailor who was found guilty of two specifications of attempted rape of a child, one specification of rape of a child, and four specifications of sexual abuse of a child.
An Army report indicates that Fort Hood Soldier, SPC Vanessa Guillen, was sexually harassed prior to her murder by a fellow Fort Hood Army Soldier. The report further indicates that Army leaders at Fort Hood failed to take appropriate action after Guillen reported the sexual harassment. Some twenty-one Soldiers have been reprimanded or otherwise disciplined for the mishandling of Vanessa Guillen’s case.
If you are a black military service member, you have a ridiculously higher chance of facing court-martial or nonjudicial punishment (NJP) and then being found guilty at that court-martial or NJP. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Air Force—if you are black, the danger of you going to and being found guilty at court-martial or NJP is through the roof compared to whites.
Honolulu, Hawaii – Retired Marine Corps military defense attorney, Jeff Liebenguth, has started his own military defense law firm in downtown Honolulu, HI—Liebenguth Law, LLC. Mr. Liebenguth retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2019, with his final billet being the Senior Military Defense Attorney at Marine Corps Base Hawaii from 2016 to 2019.
