The United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA) recently held oral arguments for U.S. v. Mayo at the College of Law. Students had the unique opportunity to observe the JAG Corps in action, as well as meet with and ask questions of the Army officers involved.
Sgt. Montrell Mayo was convicted of assault, battery, and premeditated murder of his girlfriend in a Colorado Springs motel on Valentine’s Day 2013. He appealed his conviction on the grounds that he was denied a fair trial due to implied bias by one of the officers on the general court martial panel whose wife was the victim of domestic violence in a prior marriage and whose uncle-in-law was murdered by an individual who escaped punishment.
The Army panel consisted of Brigadier General Stuart W. Risch, Commander of the U.S. Army Legal Services Agency and the Chief Judge of the Army Court of Criminal Appeals; Colonel Anthony T. Febbo, Associate Judge of the U.S. Army Court of Appeals; and Lieutenant Colonel Stefan R. Wolf, Associate Judge of the U.S. Army Court of Appeals.
“They only do this three or four times a year, so we are lucky that we have been selected,” UT Law professor Penny White told the Daily Beacon. “It’s not only an honor to have them here, it’s an educational experience for our students, so we’re delighted.”
The Daily Beacon, UT’s daily student newspaper, has a more detailed write-up about the hearing and the interaction of Army officers with the students.