Law Commons^™

Representative Sara Jacobs And Senator Dick Durbin Take Aim At The Dod Law Of War Manual – And Miss, Brian L. Cox

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

In a letter recently sent to the Department of Defense General Counsel, two lawmakers – Representative Sara Jacobs and Senator Dick Durbin – present a number of suggested revisions to the DoD Law of War Manual. In Part I, this Article conducts a critical assessment of the substantive suggestions. By adopting an approach that emphasizes maintaining the delicate balance between humanitarian considerations and military necessity, the critical assessment concludes that the suggested revisions to the Manual are inadvisable.

Part II then considers the Jacobs-Durbin letter in the broader context of public discourse and separation of powers. This component of the …

New York Times, Law Of War, And Congressional Overreach In U.S. Military Operations, Brian L. Cox

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

Recent high-profile reporting by the New York Times and other media organizations involving U.S. military combat operations has elevated public awareness related to Department of Defense targeting and accountability practices. While scandal generated by media coverage forms the basis for demands for reform of DoD practice from civil society groups and select members of Congress, the narratives developed in the investigative reporting have thus far not been exposed to comprehensive scrutiny. This article conducts a critical analysis of recent New York Times reporting involving U.S. military combat operations to assess the legitimacy of the narratives developed therein. After considering various …

A Detailed Assessment Of The Sexual Assault Prevalence Statistics At The Center Of The Military Justice Reform Movement, Brian L. Cox

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

“Twenty thousand service members experience sexual assault every year” while “only a tiny fraction of those end up with any kind of action at all in the military justice system.” Lynn Rosenthal, director of the DoD Independent Review Commission, recently offered this observation at a press conference while summarizing the findings reflected in the commission’s report. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand indicated in a recent blog post that “an estimated 20,500 service members are sexually assaulted every year” to make the case that there “is an epidemic of sexual assault in the military and the current military justice system has proven incapable …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of The Proposal To Divest Military Commanders Of Disposition Authority For Sexual Assault Cases: A Comparative Quantitative Analysis, Brian L. Cox

Cornell Law Faculty Working Papers

As suggestions to modify the practice of the U.S. military justice system return to the fore of American political discourse, the perennial proposal to divest commanders of authority to convene courts-martial to adjudicate allegations of sexual assault is once again at the center of the debate. While reformists are adamant that the suggested revision would support efforts to end what has been characterized as an “epidemic of rape” in the U.S. military, the precise connection between the “reform” and the desired improved outcomes remains tenuous. An assessment of jurisdictions that have already divested commanders of such authority could provide persuasive …