United States v. Brown ( 2021 )


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  •        This opinion is subject to revision before publication
    UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
    FOR THE    ARMED FORCES
    _______________
    UNITED STATES
    Appellant
    v.
    Michael J. BROWN, First Sergeant
    United States Marine Corps, Appellee
    No. 20-0288
    Crim. App. No. 201900050
    Argued September 29, 2020—February 12, 2021
    Military Judge: Roger E. Mattioli
    For Appellant: Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas L. Gannon,
    USMC (argued); Major Kerry E. Friedewald, USMC, and
    Lieutenant Jennifer Joseph, JAGC, USN (on brief); Brian K.
    Keller, Esq.
    For Appellee: Lieutenant Michael W. Wester, JAGC, USN
    (argued).
    Judge SPARKS delivered the opinion of the Court, in
    which Judge MAGGS, and Senior Judge EFFRON,
    joined. Judge OHLSON filed a separate dissenting
    opinion, in which Chief Judge STUCKY joined.
    _______________
    Judge SPARKS delivered the opinion of the Court.
    This matter is before us as a result of a petition for
    extraordinary relief filed by Appellee pursuant to the All
    Writs Act, 
    28 U.S.C. § 1651
    (a). In his petition for
    extraordinary relief in the nature of a writ of mandamus or
    writ of prohibition, Appellee, inter alia, asked the United
    States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals to
    remove the military judge for bias. The lower court found that
    it had potential jurisdiction to entertain Appellee’s writ
    petition pursuant to Article 69(d), Uniform Code of Military
    Justice (UCMJ), 
    10 U.S.C. § 869
    (d) (2012). Ultimately, the
    lower court granted Appellee’s writ in part and denied in part.
    The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) of the Navy then
    certified the following issue pursuant to Article 67(a)(2),
    UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 867
    (a)(2) (2018): “Did the lower court err
    in finding that it had potential jurisdiction?” We answer the
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    certified issue in the negative and hold that the lower court
    had potential jurisdiction pursuant to Article 69(d), UCMJ,
    with respect to consideration of Appellee’s writ petition under
    the All Writs Act.
    Background
    A special court-martial consisting of officer and enlisted
    members convicted Appellee, contrary to his pleas, of abusive
    sexual contact and disorderly conduct, in violation of Articles
    120 and 134, UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. §§ 920
    , 934 (2012). The
    members sentenced Appellee to a reduction in pay grade from
    E-8 to E-7.
    Prior to acting on the sentence, the convening authority
    ordered a post-trial Article 39(a), UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 839
    (a)
    (2012), hearing to inquire into Appellee’s allegations as to
    whether the military judge properly: (1) declined to provide a
    mistake of fact instruction; (2) prohibited trial defense
    counsel from presenting evidence of Appellee’s character for
    truthfulness; and (3) prohibited trial defense counsel from
    rehabilitating a defense witness’s character for truthfulness.
    At the Article 39(a), UCMJ, hearing, Appellee moved to
    disqualify the military judge on the basis of bias. After
    hearing oral argument on that motion, the military judge
    denied the motion. The military judge then summarily denied
    oral argument on the three issues the hearing was convened
    to address. Instead, the military judge stated he would make
    his ruling on these issues based on the record and briefs.
    Before the military judge could issue his ruling, Appellee
    petitioned the lower court for extraordinary relief in the
    nature of a writ of mandamus or a writ of prohibition,
    requesting that the lower court: (1) remove the military judge
    for bias; (2) grant a mistrial; or (3) appoint a special master
    to investigate allegations of unlawful command influence.
    In Brown v. United States, 
    79 M.J. 833
    , 849 (N-M. Ct.
    Crim. App. 2020), a divided lower court, en banc, granted the
    writ petition in part and denied in part.1 Because Appellee’s
    sentence was less than the statutory minimum required to
    trigger automatic Article 66(b), UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 866
    (b)
    1 The court granted relief on the issue of bias on the part of the
    military judge and ordered his removal from the case.
    2
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    (2012), review, the lower court grappled with whether it had
    statutory jurisdiction to entertain the writ petition. Although
    Appellee’s sentence was not reviewable under Article 66,
    UCMJ, i.e., he was not sentenced to one year or more of
    confinement and did not receive a punitive discharge, the
    lower court found that TJAG could potentially refer the case
    for review, pursuant to Article 69(d), UCMJ. Therefore, the
    lower court found potential jurisdiction existed, even though
    there were still several conditions precedent to its ultimate
    review. The lower court eventually granted a writ of
    mandamus removing the military judge from the case after
    finding Appellee had demonstrated a clear and indisputable
    right to relief because the military judge disallowed oral
    argument during the post-trial hearing. In the lower court’s
    view, this gave rise to an appearance of bias against Appellee.
    The lower court denied the remainder of the writ petition.
    Discussion
    The certified issue addresses the jurisdiction of the lower
    court under the circumstances of this case. Jurisdiction is a
    question of law that we review de novo. Howell v. United
    States, 
    75 M.J. 386
    , 389 (C.A.A.F. 2016). The All Writs Act
    grants the power to “all courts established by Act of Congress
    [to] issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their
    respective jurisdiction and agreeable to the usages and
    principles of law.” 
    28 U.S.C. § 1651
    (a). The All Writs Act is
    not an independent grant of jurisdiction, nor does it expand a
    court’s existing statutory jurisdiction. Clinton v. Goldsmith,
    
    526 U.S. 529
    , 534–35 (1999). Rather, the All Writs Act
    requires two determinations: (1) whether the requested writ
    is “in aid of” the court’s jurisdiction; and (2) whether the
    requested writ is “necessary or appropriate.” Denedo v.
    United States, 
    66 M.J. 114
    , 119 (C.A.A.F. 2008) (internal
    quotation marks omitted). For purposes of answering the
    certified question, we need not determine whether the
    requested writ was necessary or appropriate. We therefore
    address only whether the requested writ is in aid of the lower
    court’s jurisdiction.
    To determine whether the requested writ is “in aid of” the
    lower court’s jurisdiction, we must first determine the scope
    and authority for the lower court’s statutory jurisdiction. See
    United States v. Kelly, 
    77 M.J. 404
    , 406 (C.A.A.F. 2018) (“As
    3
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    Article I courts, [the courts of criminal appeals] enjoy limited
    jurisdiction, and are circumscribed by the Constitution to the
    powers specifically granted to them by statute.”); United
    States v. Arness, 
    74 M.J. 441
    , 442 (C.A.A.F. 2015) (“The courts
    of criminal appeals are courts of limited jurisdiction, defined
    entirely by statute.”).2 The second determination concerns
    whether the requested writ implicates the lower court’s
    subject-matter jurisdiction over the case or controversy. See
    United States v. Denedo, 
    556 U.S. 904
    , 911 (2008) (“As the text
    of the All Writs Act recognizes, a court’s power to issue any
    form of relief—extraordinary or otherwise—is contingent on
    that court’s subject-matter jurisdiction over the case or
    controversy.”). To establish subject-matter jurisdiction, the
    harm alleged must have had “the potential to directly affect
    the findings and sentence.” Howell, 75 M.J. at 390 (internal
    quotation marks omitted) (quoting Center for Constitutional
    Rights v. United States, 
    72 M.J. 126
    , 129 (C.A.A.F. 2013)
    (citing Hasan v. Gross, 
    71 M.J. 416
     (C.A.A.F. 2012))).3
    The Supreme Court has held that the power to issue writs
    “is not confined to the issuance of writs in aid of a jurisdiction
    already acquired by appeal.” FTC v. Dean Foods Co., 
    384 U.S. 597
    , 603 (1966) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting
    Roche v. Evaporated Milk Assn., 
    319 U.S. 21
     (1943)). The
    power also “extends to the potential jurisdiction of the
    appellate court where an appeal is not then pending but may
    be later perfected.” 
    Id.
     As we have explained, “the doctrine of
    potential jurisdiction allows appellate courts to issue opinions
    in matters that may reach the actual jurisdiction of the court.”
    Howell, 75 M.J. at 390 n.4 (emphasis added) (citing Dean
    Foods Co., 
    384 U.S. at 603
    ).
    2 The suggestion, seemingly, by the dissent that the jurisdiction
    of Article I courts should be read more narrowly than other federal
    courts, is not a principle we discern from our reading of Kelly, 77
    M.J. at 406.
    3  We easily conclude that the lower court has subject-matter
    jurisdiction to order the military judge’s removal for the appearance
    of bias as it has the potential to directly affect the findings and
    sentence.
    4
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    Congress created a bifurcated statutory scheme for the
    appellate review of completed courts-martial, depending upon
    the sentence approved by the convening authority. A court of
    criminal appeals exercises jurisdiction over a broad range of
    cases under Article 66(b), UCMJ, including every case in
    which the approved sentence extends to a punitive separation
    or confinement for a year or more unless mandatory review is
    waived. Because Appellee’s sentence is below the Article
    66(b), UCMJ, threshold for mandatory review at the lower
    court, the Article 66(b), UCMJ, pathway to appellate review
    is unavailable to Appellee.4
    Article 69, UCMJ, however, provides a second pathway to
    review before the Court of Criminal Appeals for an accused
    convicted and sentenced at a special court-martial. Cases not
    reviewed by the lower court pursuant to Article 66(b), UCMJ,
    such as the instant case tried at a special court-martial, can
    still be reviewed by TJAG “upon application of the accused”
    for, inter alia, “error prejudicial to the substantial rights of
    the accused.” Article 69(b), UCMJ. TJAG can then choose
    whether to send the case to the lower court for review under
    Article 66, UCMJ. Article 69(d), UCMJ.5
    Appellee may yet seek review by TJAG pursuant to Article
    69(b), UCMJ. But, at the time of Appellee’s writ petition to
    the lower court, any possible action by TJAG was foreclosed
    because the military judge had not returned his ruling during
    the post-trial hearing and the convening authority had yet to
    take action on the sentence. The Government contends that
    4 Appellee contends that there is in fact a potential pathway to
    the lower court through Article 66(b), UCMJ, because of the
    possibility of a mistrial, which would result in a vacation of the
    findings and sentence. We find it unnecessary to consider this
    argument and express no opinion as to its correctness.
    5 The instant case was referred on January 12, 2018. For cases
    referred on or after January 1, 2019, pursuant to Article
    66(b)(1)(D), 
    10 U.S.C. § 866
    (b)(1)(D), an accused is now entitled to
    have the courts of criminal appeals review his case with respect to
    matters of law if the accused applies for review from a decision of
    TJAG under Article 69(d)(1)(B) “and the application has been
    granted by the Court.” Thus, it is no longer the case that only those
    cases that TJAG elects to refer to the court of criminal appeals
    under Article 69(d), UCMJ, may be heard by the lower court.
    5
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    only after these “ ‘preliminary step[s]’ ” occur can potential
    jurisdiction apply. The Government relies upon In re
    Tennant, 
    359 F.3d 523
    , 529 (D.C. Cir. 2004), where the United
    States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
    cautioned that it was inappropriate to invoke mandamus
    “solely on the basis that events might lead to a filing before
    an agency or lower court, which might lead to an appeal to
    this court.” But Tennant is distinguishable. The court in
    Tennant concluded that it did not have potential jurisdiction
    because there was no case or other proceeding pending in a
    lower court or agency at the time of the application for an
    extraordinary writ. 
    Id.
     The court in Tennant emphasized
    that, in contrast, “[o]nce there has been a proceeding of some
    kind instituted before an agency or court that might lead to
    an appeal, it makes sense to speak of the matter as being
    ‘within [our] appellate jurisdiction’—however prospective or
    potential that jurisdiction might be.” 
    Id.
     (alteration in
    original) (citation omitted). Consistent with this position, we
    have often found that potential future actions on the part of
    other official actors are sufficient for potential jurisdiction in
    proceedings that have already begun.
    In Hasan, 
    71 M.J. 416
    , we considered a petition for a writ
    of prohibition to prevent enforcement of the military judge’s
    order to forcibly shave the appellant’s beard prior to trial or,
    in the alternative, a writ of mandamus ordering removal of
    the military judge. At the time of the writ petition, it was
    unknown whether the appellant would be convicted, and
    whether the case would be eligible for mandatory review
    under Article 66(b), UCMJ.6 Although our opinion did not
    discuss the lower court’s statutory jurisdiction, because there
    were no findings or sentence, the lower court’s only statutory
    6 At the time of the appellant’s offenses, the convening authority
    had “clear unfettered discretion … to modify the findings and
    sentence.” United States v. Nerad, 
    69 M.J. 138
    , 145 (C.A.A.F. 2010);
    see also Article 60(c)(1), UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 860
    (c)(1) (2012) (“The
    authority under this section to modify the findings and sentence of
    a court-martial is a matter of command prerogative involving the
    discretion of the convening authority.”). Therefore, the convening
    authority had the ability to modify the sentence or disapprove the
    findings and sentence entirely.
    6
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    basis was potential jurisdiction if the appellant was
    eventually convicted and sentenced.
    Subsequently, in LRM v. Kastenberg, 
    72 M.J. 364
    , 367–68
    (C.A.A.F. 2013), we held the lower court erred in finding it
    lacked jurisdiction to consider an alleged sexual assault
    victim’s petition for a writ of mandamus to compel the
    military judge to allow her special victims’ counsel to be heard
    on matters involving her rights under Military Rules of
    Evidence 412 and 513. The lower court had jurisdiction
    notwithstanding the pretrial procedural posture of the case,
    since “[a] writ petition may be ‘in aid of’ a court’s jurisdiction
    even on interlocutory matters where no finding or sentence
    has been entered in the court-martial.” 
    Id. at 368
     (citation
    omitted). Like Hasan, it was unknown whether the accused
    would be convicted, and, if so, what findings and sentence
    would be approved by the convening authority. Because there
    were no findings or sentence, the lower court’s statutory basis
    was potential jurisdiction if the accused was eventually
    convicted and sentenced.
    Similarly, in Howell, 75 M.J. at 390, we held that the
    lower court had potential jurisdiction to grant a writ of
    prohibition after findings and sentence had been reached and
    the record of trial authenticated but before the convening
    authority had acted. Although the convening authority had
    not yet approved the sentence, which if approved would
    trigger automatic Article 66(b), UCMJ, review, we explained
    that “the doctrine of potential jurisdiction allows appellate
    courts to issue opinions in matters that may reach the actual
    jurisdiction of the court.” Howell, 75 M.J. at 390 n.4. Because
    Howell’s case could still reach the statutory jurisdiction of the
    lower court, there was potential jurisdiction even though the
    convening authority could potentially disapprove the findings
    and sentence entirely and thus thwart the lower court’s
    statutory jurisdiction.
    In each of these cases, potential jurisdiction existed even
    though intervening conditions could have ultimately
    prevented review by the lower court. Our jurisprudence has
    recognized that potential jurisdiction includes circumstances
    in which the lower court’s statutory jurisdiction is attenuated
    and dependent upon the discretionary acts of others who
    exercise authority in the military justice system. It was
    7
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    impossible to know in advance how the members and the
    convening authority would act in Hasan or LRM, or how the
    convening authority would act in Howell. Likewise, it is
    impossible for us to know how TJAG would act in this case
    under Article 69(d), UCMJ, but this does not defeat the lower
    court’s potential jurisdiction. Potential jurisdiction exists as
    long as some pathway to the lower court’s statutory
    jurisdiction remains. Here, pursuant to Article 69(d), UCMJ,
    TJAG will have the opportunity to decide whether to forward
    Appellee’s case to the lower court for review under Article 66,
    UCMJ. Because such an action may still occur, the pathway
    for potential statutory jurisdiction remains open.
    Our jurisprudence follows that of the Article III appellate
    courts, which also exercise potential jurisdiction even when a
    right to appeal depends on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of
    some condition. For example, in Dean Foods Co., 
    384 U.S. at
    603–04, the Supreme Court held that potential jurisdiction
    existed to issue an injunction preserving the status quo while
    a merger of two companies was being challenged before the
    Federal Trade Commission (FTC) even though it was possible
    that the FTC would approve the merger and thereby prevent
    the exercise of appellate jurisdiction. This principle also
    applies in federal criminal cases. See 16A Charles Alan A.
    Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure
    § 3932 (3d ed. 2020) (explaining that even though an event
    such as “acquittal would defeat any occasion for appeal … this
    difficulty would not thwart a writ application by a defendant,
    unless perhaps the application involves a matter not subject
    to review by any means”).
    The instant case is distinguishable from Arness. In Arness,
    74 M.J. at 442, the appellant’s approved sentence also did not
    meet the jurisdictional threshold required for the lower
    court’s mandatory review under Article 66(b), UCMJ. After
    completing his review, TJAG elected not to forward the case
    to the lower court for review under Article 69(d), which
    foreclosed the other statutory pathway to jurisdiction. 74 M.J.
    at 442. We held, “[a]s the Judge Advocate General did not
    refer [a]ppellant’s case to the CCA—a statutory prerequisite
    for its review—the CCA was without jurisdiction to review it.”
    Id. at 443. “Consideration of extraordinary relief is not ‘in aid’
    of the [lower court’s] jurisdiction, because the [lower court]
    8
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Opinion of the Court
    had none in the first place.” Id. In Arness, no statutory
    pathway existed for the lower court’s statutory jurisdiction,
    but in the instant case, because TJAG has not yet had the
    opportunity to decide whether to forward the case to the lower
    court pursuant to Article 69(d), UCMJ, such a potential
    pathway exists.
    It is not disputed that we read the statutes governing
    jurisdiction in the military system “as an integrated whole,
    with the purpose of carrying out the intent of Congress.”
    United States v. Lopez de Victoria, 
    66 M.J. 67
    , 69 (C.A.A.F.
    2008). The dissent does not question the availability of
    extraordinary relief from an unfavorable ruling potentially
    infringing upon a substantial right on the day before
    sentencing. Apparently, the dissent’s view is that the
    availability of such relief is lost the day after sentencing
    (assuming a nonqualifying sentence under Article 66(b),
    UCMJ). We, however, can find no indication in the statutory
    scheme that would compel such a result.
    To reiterate, we hold that in a case like the one before us,
    potential jurisdiction under Article 66, UCMJ, and Article
    69(d), UCMJ, attached at the inception of the court-martial.
    This potential jurisdiction continued as long as a pathway for
    review by the court of criminal appeals existed. Accordingly,
    the lower court had potential jurisdiction to entertain
    Appellee’s writ petition.
    Decision
    The certified question is answered in the negative. The
    record is returned to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy.
    9
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Judge OHLSON, with whom Chief Judge STUCKY joins,
    dissenting.
    The majority holds that the lower court had potential ju-
    risdiction to entertain Appellee’s writ petition pursuant to the
    provisions of Article 69(d), Uniform Code of Military Justice
    (UCMJ), 
    10 U.S.C. § 869
    (d) (2012), and the All Writs Act, 
    28 U.S.C. § 1651
     (2018). Because I disagree with this conclusion,
    I respectfully dissent.
    As reflected below, both parties in this case have seem-
    ingly presented logical and compelling arguments in support
    of their positions. Reduced to its essence, the Government’s
    reasoning is as follows:
    In the military, the courts of criminal appeals (CCAs) are
    courts of limited jurisdiction and the scope of that jurisdiction
    is defined entirely by statute. United States v. Arness, 
    74 M.J. 441
    , 442 (C.A.A.F. 2015). Article 66(b), UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 866
    (b) (2012), grants jurisdiction to a CCA in every case
    where the approved sentence includes a punitive discharge
    and/or confinement for a year or more (unless the service-
    member chooses to waive this otherwise mandatory review).
    However, once a sub-jurisdictional sentence is imposed in a
    case, the statutory jurisdiction of a CCA is extinguished. This
    extinguished jurisdiction can only be revived if the Judge Ad-
    vocate General decides to refer the case to a CCA under Arti-
    cle 69, UCMJ, for the purpose of reviewing error prejudicial
    to the substantial rights of the accused. In the instant case,
    the Judge Advocate General had not yet decided whether to
    refer the matter to the CCA. Therefore, statutory jurisdiction
    remained extinguished in this case and the CCA had no au-
    thority to issue a writ at this point in the proceedings.
    On the other hand, Appellee’s reasoning—which essen-
    tially has been adopted by the majority of this Court—can be
    concisely expressed as follows:
    As noted in Arness, the jurisdiction of a CCA is strictly de-
    fined by statute. 74 M.J. at 442. However, in addition to Arti-
    cle 66, UCMJ, and Article 69, UCMJ, the All Writs Act is a
    statute which empowers a CCA to “issue all writs necessary
    or appropriate in aid of [its] jurisdiction[].” 
    28 U.S.C. § 1651
    (a). The phrase “in aid of [its] jurisdiction[]” has been
    interpreted as statutorily extending CCA jurisdiction to those
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Judge OHLSON, dissenting
    cases where an appeal is not yet pending but where an appeal
    may later be perfected. See FTC v. Dean Foods Co., 
    384 U.S. 597
    , 603–04 (1966). Stated differently, the “doctrine of poten-
    tial jurisdiction” empowers a CCA to issue writs in those in-
    stances where a case still has some means of coming before
    the court. Howell v. United States, 
    75 M.J. 386
    , 390 n.4
    (C.A.A.F. 2016). Here, Appellee’s case still has some means of
    going before the CCA because the Judge Advocate General
    could, upon application of the accused, still exercise his stat-
    utory authority under Article 69, UCMJ, and refer the case to
    the CCA for review. Therefore, the CCA had statutory juris-
    diction to issue a writ in this case because the issues raised
    involved the substantial rights of Appellee.
    Ultimately, I conclude that the Government has the more
    compelling argument for three interlocking reasons.
    First, the plain language of the statutes can be read as
    supporting the position that Congress created two entirely
    distinct means of providing a CCA with the authority to exer-
    cise jurisdiction in a case. One means applies in those cases
    where the sentence meets—or has the potential to meet—the
    sentencing threshold spelled out in Article 66, UCMJ. If the
    sentence is sub-jurisdictional, however, Congress created a
    totally separate means by which a CCA has jurisdiction—the
    provisions of Article 69, UCMJ. In the instant case, jurisdic-
    tion was extinguished under Article 66, UCMJ, when a sub-
    jurisdictional sentence was imposed,1 and no new jurisdiction
    was created under Article 69, UCMJ, because the Judge Ad-
    vocate General had not exercised his statutory authority to
    refer the case to the CCA for review under the provisions of
    that article. Allowing Appellee to bypass this Article 69,
    1  The CCA also determined that Article 66, UCMJ, was a path-
    way to potential jurisdiction because the issues to be addressed at
    the post-trial session might result in a mistrial, thereby paving the
    way for a new trial on the charges and ultimately an Article 66,
    UCMJ, appeal. Brown v. United States, 
    79 M.J. 833
    , 838 & n.6, 840
    n.10 (N-M. Ct. Crim. App. 2020). I find this claim unpersuasive be-
    cause any new trial on the charges would be restricted to the sub-
    jurisdictional sentence in this case. See Article 63, UCMJ, 
    10 U.S.C. § 863
     (2012); Rule for Courts-Martial 810(d)(1).
    2
    United States v. Brown, No. 20-0288/MC
    Judge OHLSON, dissenting
    UCMJ, review by the Judge Advocate General thwarts the
    statutory scheme created by Congress.
    Second, the implication of the majority opinion is that the
    CCAs have expansive jurisdiction over courts-martial. That
    is, although Congress limited CCA review to cases with sen-
    tences of a certain severity, the majority, using the All Writs
    Act, now allows the CCAs to review cases with any sentence,
    so long as these courts assert jurisdiction prior to the Judge
    Advocate General’s action on the case.2 This is a quintessen-
    tial example of using the All Writs Act to expand jurisdiction,
    which this Court cannot do. See Clinton v. Goldsmith,
    
    526 U.S. 529
    , 534–35 (1999).
    Third, we should interpret the provisions of Article 66,
    UCMJ, and Article 69, UCMJ, in concert with three funda-
    mental legal principles: (a) the jurisdiction of Article I courts
    should be read narrowly, United States v. Kelly, 
    77 M.J. 404
    ,
    406 (C.A.A.F. 2018); (b) “we ‘read the statutes governing …
    jurisdiction as an integrated whole, with the purpose of car-
    rying out the intent of Congress in enacting them’ ” when de-
    termining the scope of jurisdiction, Randolph v. HV, 
    76 M.J. 27
    , 29 (C.A.A.F. 2017) (emphasis added) (quoting United
    States v. Lopez de Victoria, 
    66 M.J. 67
    , 69 (C.A.A.F. 2008));
    and (c) “[t]he burden to establish jurisdiction rests with the
    party invoking the court’s jurisdiction,” which in this case is
    Appellee, United States v. LaBella, 
    75 M.J. 52
    , 54 (C.A.A.F.
    2015). Thus, when presented with the parties’ competing ar-
    guments, I conclude that we should err on the side of inter-
    preting the contours of a CCA’s jurisdiction narrowly, and we
    should determine that Appellee has not met his burden of es-
    tablishing that his view of this statutory issue should prevail.
    I would therefore answer the certified issue in the affirm-
    ative and hold that the lower court erred in finding that it had
    jurisdiction in this case. Accordingly, I respectfully dissent.
    2  It is unclear if the reasoning of the majority opinion would
    allow for “potential jurisdiction” over summary courts-martial, but
    these courts-martial appear to fall under the authority of the Judge
    Advocate General to refer “any court-martial” to the CCA. Article
    69(d)(1), UCMJ.
    3
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 20-0288-MC

Filed Date: 2/12/2021

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 2/12/2021