Gene Fidell quoted in NPR News Segment on Senate Defense Bill Consideration

By | Published On: December 26, 2013

Gene Fidell, of counsel at FTLF, was quoted in a recent NPR News segment regarding the Senate consideration of a defense bill measure addressing sexual assault prosecution in the military.

The defense bill includes provisions for more aggressive prosecution of sexual assault in the military, and a proposed amendment up for vote next year would give military prosecutors, rather than commanders, the final say in which cases to prosecute.

“This idea that the commander has to control the administration of justice, even for serious offenses, goes all the way back to George III, our last monarch. It’s crazy,” said Fidell. “The question of who gets prosecuted is a legal question that goes beyond good order and discipline, and it’s the type of thing that ought to be decided in this 21st century by attorneys”

The segment noted Fidell’s experience as a Florence Rogatz Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School teaching military justice.

Listen to the full segment, or read the transcript, here.


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