Bill would let troops appeal to Supreme Court

Bill would let troops appeal to Supreme Court

By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 12, 2008 15:34:58 EDT

The Senate is moving closer to giving service members the same right to appeal convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court that is available to civilians.

On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Equal Justice for U.S. Servicemembers Act, which would allow troops who have exhausted their appeals through the military court system to petition the U.S. Supreme Court as a final legal step.

Current law allows service members to petition the nation’s highest court only in death penalty cases. All other cases can be taken only as far as the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the highest military court.

One reason supporters of the bill find current law so unfair is that military prosecutors can petition the Supreme Court over adverse rulings, but most service members cannot.

“Unlike American civilians, members of the American armed forces are denied the basic right to petition the U.S. Supreme Court after losing at the appellate court level,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the chief sponsor of the bill. “This is simply wrong.”
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