New York Times: Intrusive Grilling in Rape Case Raises Alarm on Military Hearings
The New York Times reports:
More broadly, the case at the Naval Academy illuminates what critics say is wrong with trying sexual assault cases in the current military justice system, which is under scrutiny in Congress. One bill to be debated this fall, sponsored by Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, would take the prosecution of sexual assault cases outside a victim’s chain of command, with a goal of increasing the number of people who report crimes without fear of retaliation.
In the coming weeks, the military judge who presided over the female midshipman’s hearing will send a recommendation to the Naval Academy’s superintendent on how the charges should be disposed of. The superintendent, Vice Adm. Michael H. Miller, will ultimately decide whether to move ahead with a court-martial or drop the case.
Increased scrutiny of the problem of sexual assault in the military, combined with more reporting of attacks, has led to a large jump in the number of such cases that have gone to court-martial. The Defense Department says that 68 percent of sexual assault cases were sent to court-martial last year, compared with 30 percent in 2007.
