Nevada Revised Statutes 412.332 – Eligibility to serve on courts-martial; excusal of member; president of special court-martial
1. Any commissioned officer of or on duty with the Nevada National Guard is eligible to serve on all courts-martial for the trial of any person who may lawfully be brought before such courts for trial.
Terms Used In Nevada Revised Statutes 412.332
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- person: means a natural person, any form of business or social organization and any other nongovernmental legal entity including, but not limited to, a corporation, partnership, association, trust or unincorporated organization. See Nevada Revised Statutes 0.039
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
2. Any warrant officer of or on duty with the Nevada National Guard is eligible to serve on general and special courts-martial for the trial of any person, other than a commissioned officer, who may lawfully be brought before such courts for trial.
3. Any enlisted member of the Nevada National Guard who is not a member of the same unit as the accused is eligible to serve on general and special courts-martial for the trial of any enlisted member who may lawfully be brought before such courts for trial, but he or she shall serve as a member of a court only if, before the conclusion of a session called by the military judge before trial or, in the absence of such a session, before the court is assembled for the trial of the accused, the accused personally has requested orally on the record or in writing that enlisted members serve on it. After such a request, the accused serviceman or servicewoman may not be tried by a general or special court-martial the membership of which does not include enlisted members in a number comprising at least one-third of the total membership of the court, unless eligible members cannot be obtained on account of physical conditions or military exigencies. If such members cannot be obtained, the court may be convened and the trial held without them, but the convening authority shall make a detailed written statement, to be appended to the record, stating why they could not be obtained. As used in this subsection, the word ‘unit’ means any regularly organized body of the Nevada National Guard not larger than a company, a squadron or a corresponding body.
4. When it can be avoided, no person subject to this Code shall be tried by a court-martial any member of which is junior to him or her in rank or grade.
5. When convening a court-martial, the convening authority shall detail as members thereof such members of the Nevada National Guard as, in his or her opinion, are best qualified for the duty by reason of age, education, training, experience, length of service, and judicial temperament. No member of the Nevada National Guard is eligible to serve as a member of a general or special court-martial when he or she is the accuser, a witness, or has acted as investigating officer or as counsel in the same case.
6. Before a court-martial is assembled for the trial of a case, the convening authority may excuse a member of the court from participating in the case. The convening authority may delegate the authority under this subsection to a judge advocate or to any other principal assistant.
7. If within the command of the convening authority there is present and not otherwise disqualified a commissioned officer who is a member of the bar of the State and of appropriate rank, the convening authority shall appoint him or her as president of a special court-martial. Although this requirement is binding on the convening authority, failure to meet it in any case does not divest a military court of jurisdiction.