JAG

Navy COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal Separations Rise to 815

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Jacob Keeton verifies a COVID-19 vaccination card aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) on March 23, 2022. US Navy Photo

Approved Navy separations due to refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19 rose to 815 over the past week.

Separations increased by 17, according to the Navy’s weekly COVID-19 update. Last week, the Navy reported its first decrease in separations, as a result of a class-action lawsuit that prevents the Navy from...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/27/navy-covid-19-vaccine-refusal-separations-rise-to-815

Navy COVID-19 Vaccine Separations Drop as Injunction Takes Hold

Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Lauren Kestell, left, from Oklahoma City, Okla., assigned to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), administers a COVID-19 booster to Chief Fire Controlman (AEGIS) Kellen Smothers, from Clio, Mich., aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) on Feb.16, 2022. US Navy Photo

Navy separations due to COVID-19 vaccine refusal dropped over the past week, the result of the injunction preventing the sea service from separating those who applied for...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/25/navy-covid-19-vaccine-separations-drop-as-injunction-takes-hold

‘Out of Commission’ Destroyer CO Assigned to Shore Duty, Lawyers in COVID-19 Vaccination Suit Say

A guided-missile destroyer coming into Norfolk, Va., in 2021. US Navy Photo

The commander of Arleigh-Burke guided-missile destroyer in a legal battle with the Navy over refusing the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds has been temporarily assigned to shore duty, his lawyers say.

The service wants to remove the officer from command of the East Coast warship over his stance on the vaccine but was blocked by a Florida federal judge. Navy officials have testified that the ship is “out of...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/19/out-of-commission-destroyer-co-assigned-to-shore-duty-lawyers-in-covid-19-vaccination-suit-say

Navy Says Destroyer is ‘Out of Commission’ After Florida Judge Blocks Removal of Unvaccinated CO

An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer transits the Atlantic Ocean on Nov. 25, 2021. US Navy Photo

An East Coast guided-missile destroyer is “out of commission” after a federal judge in Florida prevented the Navy from removing its commanding officer for his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, the service said in ongoing legal action.

Judge Steven Merryday ruled in a February decision that the Navy cannot remove an unnamed commanding officer despite what the service says is a lack of confidence...

Navy, Marine Corps JAG Reviews Highlight Needed Education, Organizational Improvements

THE PENTAGON – The Navy and Marine Corps today released the results of a six-month look into their legal communities, following several high-profile cases that were tainted by unlawful command influence and prosecutorial misconduct.

The review made clear that, while individuals in the legal community are doing good work, the services aren’t always putting the right people in the right jobs, aren’t providing sufficient training and education throughout the entire legal career progression, could...

https://news.usni.org/2020/01/10/navy-marine-corps-jag-reviews-highlight-needed-education-organizational-improvements

SECNAV Spencer Expanding JAG Review to Include Marine Legal Community

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer speaks during an all-hands call onboard U.S. Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka on July 12, 2018. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – A review of the Department of the Navy’s legal system has expanded to include the Marine legal community, according to a memo from Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer obtained by USNI News.

“Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer, in full coordination with the commandant of the Marine Corps, has directed an expansion of the...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/22/secnav-spencer-expanding-jag-review-to-include-marine-legal-community

Navy Moving Ahead With Unprecedented Review of JAG Corps

After months of high-profile legal gaffes, the head of the Navy has ordered what officials are calling an operational pause for the Navy’s legal community.

The largest and most comprehensive review of the Navy’s legal system kicked off the day after President Donald Trump publicly admonished the JAG community for awarding medals to the lawyers who were responsible for the failed prosecution of Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher.

“Not only did they lose the case, they had difficulty...

https://news.usni.org/2019/08/05/navy-moving-ahead-with-unprecedented-review-of-jag-corps