(a) Courts of Criminal Appeals.—
Each Judge Advocate General shall establish a Court of Criminal Appeals which shall be composed of one or more panels, and each such panel shall be composed of not less than three appellate military judges. For the purpose of reviewing court-martial cases, the court may sit in panels or as a whole in accordance with rules prescribed under subsection (h). Any decision of a panel may be reconsidered by the court sitting as a whole in accordance with such rules. Appellate military judges who are assigned to a Court of Criminal Appeals may be commissioned officers or civilians, each of whom must be a member of a bar of a Federal court or of the highest court of a State and must be certified by the Judge Advocate General as qualified, by reason of education, training, experience, and judicial temperament, for duty as an appellate military judge. The Judge Advocate General shall designate as chief judge one of the appellate military judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals established by him. The chief judge shall determine on which panels of the court the appellate judges assigned to the court will serve and which military judge assigned to the court will act as the senior judge on each panel. In accordance with regulations prescribed by the President, assignments of appellate military judges under this section (article) shall be for appropriate minimum periods, subject to such exceptions as may be authorized in the regulations.
(b) Review.—
(1) Appeals by accused.—A Court of Criminal Appeals shall have jurisdiction over a timely appeal from the judgment of a court-martial, entered into the record under section 860c of this title (article 60c), as follows:
(A)
On appeal by the accused in a case in which the sentence extends to confinement for more than six months and the case is not subject to automatic review under paragraph (3).
(B)
On appeal by the accused in a case in which the Government previously filed an appeal under section 862 of this title (article 62).
(C)
On appeal by the accused in a case that the Judge Advocate General has sent to the Court of Criminal Appeals for review of the sentence under section 856(d) of this title (article 56(d)).
(D)
In a case in which the accused filed an application for review with the Court under section 869(d)(1)(B) of this title (article 69(d)(1)(B)) and the application has been granted by the Court.
(2) Review of certain sentences.—
A Court of Criminal Appeals shall have jurisdiction over all cases that the Judge Advocate General orders sent to the Court for review under section 856(d) of this title (article 56(d)).
(3) Automatic review.—
A Court of Criminal Appeals shall have jurisdiction over a court-martial in which the judgment entered into the record under section 860c of this title (article 60c) includes a sentence of death, dismissal of a commissioned officer, cadet, or midshipman, dishonorable discharge or bad-conduct discharge, or confinement for 2 years or more.
(c) Timeliness.—An appeal under subsection (b)(1) is timely if it is filed as follows:
(1) In the case of an appeal by the accused under subsection (b)(1)(A) or (b)(1)(B), if filed before the later of—
(A)
the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date the accused is provided notice of appellate rights under section 865(c) of this title (article 65(c)); or
(2) In the case of an appeal by the accused under subsection (b)(1)(C), if filed before the later of—
(A)
the end of the 90-day period beginning on the date the accused is notified that the application for review has been granted by letter placed in the United States mails for delivery by first class certified mail to the accused at an address provided by the accused or, if no such address has been provided by the accused, at the latest address listed for the accused in his official service record; or
(d) Duties.—
(1) Cases appealed by accused.—
In any case before the Court of Criminal Appeals under subsection (b), the Court may act only with respect to the findings and sentence as entered into the record under section 860c of this title (article 60c). The Court may affirm only such findings of guilty, and the sentence or such part or amount of the sentence, as the Court finds correct in law and fact and determines, on the basis of the entire record, should be approved. In considering the record, the Court may weigh the evidence, judge the credibility of witnesses, and determine controverted questions of fact, recognizing that the trial court saw and heard the witnesses.
(2) Error or excessive delay.—
In any case before the Court of Criminal Appeals under subsection (b), the Court may provide appropriate relief if the accused demonstrates error or excessive delay in the processing of the court-martial after the judgment was entered into the record under section 860c of this title (article 60c).
(e) Consideration of Appeal of Sentence by the United States.—
(1) In general.—In considering a sentence on appeal or review as provided in section 856(d) of this title (article 56(d)), the Court of Criminal Appeals may consider—
(2) Record on appeal or review.—In an appeal or review under this subsection or section 856(d) of this title (article 56(d)), the record on appeal or review shall consist of—
(C)
any information required by regulation prescribed by the President or by rule or order of the Court of Criminal Appeals.
(f) Limits of Authority.—
(1) Set aside of findings.—
(C) Dismissal when rehearing impracticable.—
If the Court of Criminal Appeals orders a rehearing on a charge and the convening authority finds a rehearing impracticable, the convening authority may dismiss the charge.
(3) Additional proceedings.—
If the Court of Criminal Appeals determines that additional proceedings are warranted, the Court may order a hearing as may be necessary to address a substantial issue, subject to such limitations as the Court may direct and under such regulations as the President may prescribe. If the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces determines that additional proceedings are warranted, the Court of Criminal Appeals shall order a hearing or other proceeding in accordance with the direction of the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
(g) Action in Accordance With Decisions of Courts.—
The Judge Advocate General shall, unless there is to be further action by the President, the Secretary concerned, the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, or the Supreme Court, instruct the appropriate authority to take action in accordance with the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals.
(h) Rules of Procedure.—
The Judge Advocates General shall prescribe uniform rules of procedure for Courts of Criminal Appeals and shall meet periodically to formulate policies and procedure in regard to review of court-martial cases in the offices of the Judge Advocates General and by Courts of Criminal Appeals.
(i) Prohibition on Evaluation of Other Members of Courts.—
No member of a Court of Criminal Appeals shall be required, or on his own initiative be permitted, to prepare, approve, disapprove, review, or submit, with respect to any other member of the same or another Court of Criminal Appeals, an effectiveness, fitness, or efficiency report, or any other report or document used in whole or in part for the purpose of determining whether a member of the armed forces is qualified to be advanced in grade, or in determining the assignment or transfer of a member of the armed forces, or in determining whether a member of the armed forces should be retained on active duty.
(j) Ineligibility of Members of Courts To Review Records of Cases Involving Certain Prior Member Service.—
No member of a Court of Criminal Appeals shall be eligible to review the record of any trial if such member served as investigating officer in the case or served as a member of the court-martial before which such trial was conducted, or served as military judge, trial or defense counsel, or reviewing officer of such trial.
(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 59; Pub. L. 90–632, § 2(27), Oct. 24, 1968, 82 Stat. 1341; Pub. L. 98–209, §§ 7(b), (c), 10(c)(1), Dec. 6, 1983, 97 Stat. 1402, 1406; Pub. L. 103–337, div. A, title IX, § 924(b)(2), (c)(1), (4)(A), Oct. 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 2831, 2832; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XI, § 1153, Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 468; Pub. L. 114–328, div. E, title LIX, § 5330, Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2932; Pub. L. 115–91, div. A, title V, § 531(j), title X, § 1081(c)(1)(K), Dec. 12, 2017, 131 Stat. 1385, 1598.)