Depending on your service, it can take six months to two years. Personal Appearances take longer than “records reviews.”
The Court of Appeals recently released its opinion in United States v. Shelby. Sergeant Shelby was initially charged with several offenses in January 2022. The most serious of these charges was one alleging abusive sexual contact, a violation of Article 120, UCMJ. Before those charges were tried at court-martial, the Military Judge found that the … Read more
Contact Mr. Cassara by phone or by using the contact form on this page. Please include the following information: the date of your discharge, the reason for the discharge, the service you were in, and the type of discharge you received.
The Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals released its opinion in United States v. London last month. LCpl London was originally convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Quantico in 2021. He was sentenced to 65 months confinement and was sent to the brig on Camp Pendleton to serve this time. In February 2022, LCpl London became … Read more
You can request that your discharge be upgraded to Honorable, or any other characterization of service. We recommend requesting an Honorable Discharge in nearly all circumstances. Soldiers discharged under Other Than Honorable conditions after 1 October 1982 while in entry level status (less than 6 months service) may request upgrade to an uncharacterized discharge. To … Read more
On December 20, 2024, President Biden issued Executive Order 14130. This Order amended and added to the Manual for Courts-Martial. The majority of the changes became effective on the date the Order was issued, with the remainder going into effect on December 22 and December 23, 2024. The changes cover several areas of military justice … Read more
Corporal RosarioMartinez was charged with sexual assault of another Marine after the two were drinking at a bar. During voir dire, the military judge asked the members if they had been instructed on the definition of consent through Marine Corps training. They all said that they had and the military judge stopped for a brief … Read more
The Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals recently released its decision in United States v. Cassaberry-Folks. Staff Sergeant Cassaberry Folks pled guilty to a number of offenses, including four specifications of assault consummated by a battery, extortion, forgery, and larceny. He was sentenced, in accordance with his plea agreement, to a bad conduct discharge, 18 … Read more
The Army Court of Criminal Appeals recently decided the case of United States v. Burch. Warrant Officer Burch was originally charged with four specifications of sexual assault. His counsel entered negotiations with the Government to resolve the case with a plea agreement. Throughout the negotiations, the defense counsel made clear that Warrant Officer Burch would … Read more
Last year, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces [CAAF] agreed to consider the case of United States v. Mendoza. We discussed the case here. Mendoza was a sexual assault case involving a Soldier who woke up the morning after becoming extremely intoxicated and did not recall most of what had happened the night … Read more