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Judge’s actions in Air Force sexual assault case to be questioned
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/01/181764/judges-actions-in-air-force-sexual.htmlJudge’s actions in Air Force sexual assault case to be questioned
By Michael Doyle | McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Friday, February 1, 2013
WASHINGTON — An Air Force enlisted man convicted of rape at a Joint Base Charleston court-martial will get a chance to challenge his trial judge, under a new ruling by a military appeals court.
The appellate court’s decision gives former Airman 1st Class Jimmy Hughes a crucial opportunity to determine whether the trial judge, a legally prominent Air Force colonel, should have recused herself from the 2011 case.
More broadly, the re-examination of this South Carolina court-martial might help illuminate how the military copes with highly sensitive sexual-assault allegations.
~snip~
The new hearing will unfold as military leaders and politicians pay increasing attention to sexual assault in the armed forces. In fiscal year 2011, the Defense Department recorded 3,192 accounts of alleged sexual assault, including 614 in the Air Force. Because sexual assaults often aren’t reported, officials concede that the true numbers are almost certainly much higher.