§ 806. Art. 6. Judge advocates and legal officers

1,375 words·~6 min read·/usc/title-10/section-806

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)A member of the armed forces may only serve as a judge advocate if such member—

(A)is admitted to the practice of law before the highest court of a State, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia;

(B)maintains a license status that provides current eligibility to actively practice law before such court;

(C)is subject to the disciplinary review process of the jurisdiction in which such member maintains such a license status; and

(D)is in compliance with any other requirements of such jurisdiction to remain eligible to practice law in such jurisdiction.

(2)The Judge Advocates General of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard and the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps may suspend the authority of a judge advocate of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, or Marine Corps, respectively, to perform legal duties if such judge advocate becomes noncompliant with the requirements of paragraph (1). A member of the armed forces who is suspended or disbarred from the practice of law within a jurisdiction may not perform legal duties.

(1)The assignment for duty of judge advocates of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard shall be made upon the recommendation of the Judge Advocate General of the armed force of which they are members. The assignment for duty of judge advocates of the Marine Corps shall be made by direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The Judge Advocates General, and within the Marine Corps the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps, or senior members of their staffs, shall make frequent inspections in the field in supervision of the administration of military justice.

(2)The assignment for duty of judge advocates pursuant to this subsection shall include qualified judge advocates in numbers sufficient to provide legal advice to all commanders responsible for planning and organizing military operations (including commanders of and within commands assigned to a combatant command or the United States element of the North American Aerospace Defense Command as established pursuant to sections 161 and 162 of this title) and all commanders authorized to convene courts-martial under sections 822 through 824 of this title (articles 22 through 24). The qualifications of judge advocates assigned to provide legal advice to commanders under this paragraph shall include—

(A)the qualifications set forth in subsection (a)(1); and

(B)any additional education, expertise, or experience determined to be necessary to fulfill the requirements of this paragraph by the Judge Advocate General of the armed force concerned, or in the case of the Marine Corps, by the Staff Judge Advocate to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

(c)Convening authorities shall at all times communicate directly with their staff judge advocates or legal officers in matters relating to the administration of military justice; and the staff judge advocate or legal officer of any command is entitled to communicate directly with the staff judge advocate or legal officer of a superior or subordinate command, or with the Judge Advocate General.

(1)No person who, with respect to a case, serves in a capacity specified in paragraph

(2)may later serve as a staff judge advocate or legal officer to any reviewing or convening authority upon the same case.

(2)The capacities referred to in paragraph

(1)are, with respect to the case involved, any of the following:

(A)Preliminary hearing officer, court member, military judge, military magistrate, or appellate judge.

(B)Counsel who have acted in the same case or appeared in any proceeding before a military judge, military magistrate, preliminary hearing officer, or appellate court.

(1)A judge advocate who is assigned or detailed to perform the functions of a civil office in the Government of the United States under section 973(b)(2)(B) of this title may perform such duties as may be requested by the agency concerned, including representation of the United States in civil and criminal cases.

(2)The Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, shall prescribe regulations providing that reimbursement may be a condition of assistance by judge advocates assigned or detailed under section 973(b)(2)(B) of this title.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 39; Pub. L. 90–179, § 1(3), Dec. 8, 1967, 81 Stat. 545; Pub. L. 90–632, § 2(2), Oct. 24, 1968, 82 Stat. 1335; Pub. L. 98–209, § 2(b), Dec. 6, 1983, 97 Stat. 1393; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title VIII, § 807(a), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3909; Pub. L. 107–296, title XVII, § 1704(b)(1), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2314; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title V, § 531(d)(1), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1726; Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LI, § 5103, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2895; Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title V, §§ 561(a), 562, Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 881, 882.)

In subsection (b), the word “entitled” is substituted for the word “authorized”.

In subsection (c), the words “may later” are substituted for the words “shall subsequently”.

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