# Naval JAG Out on His Eear **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 9, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766 "2006-10-09T02:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/61 "2006-10-10T19:35:25Z")
I’m confused: his supervisor says: > [@](#): > > “Charlie has obviously done an exceptional job, a really extraordinary job,” said Marine Col. Dwight Sullivan, the Pentagon’s chief defense counsel for Military Commissions. He added it was “quite a coincidence” that Swift was passed over for a promotion “within two weeks of the Supreme Court opinion.” So is what you are all telling me is that the Pentagon’s chief defense counsel for Military Commissions is completely ignorant of how the system works? Either he is lying about the “coincidence” comment, or we’re not getting the whole story from ya’ll messageboard experts. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/62 "2006-10-10T20:00:24Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] Do you think there was some intent to deceive? About what? Shirley, you can’t mean to suggest that the perfidious **Hamlet** was trying to get us to believe that Lt. Cmdr. Swift is a Doper? To what end? What’s up,\*\* Doc\*\*? [/QUOTE] It’s just a pet peeve. It also makes it harder for one of us to quote Hamlets quote of Swift. I’ts unessesary, and although in this case there is no confusion, there could be. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/63 "2006-10-10T23:38:11Z")
[QUOTE=Apos] So is what you are all telling me is that the Pentagon’s chief defense counsel for Military Commissions is completely ignorant of how the system works? Either he is lying about the “coincidence” comment, or we’re not getting the whole story from ya’ll messageboard experts. [/QUOTE] Or that his current boss doesn’t know (because he doesn’t have access to them) what his FitReps from Swift’s previous units said about his performance. OTOH, the promotion board does have such access. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/64 "2006-10-11T00:23:31Z")
That wouldn’t explain his comment, which is about the timing, not anything about the performance. Has any team of JAGs ever argued in the Supreme Court against the government and won ever before, btw? ---
**Author:** ![usar\_jag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/65 "2006-10-11T02:02:44Z")
[QUOTE=Apos] Has any team of JAGs ever argued in the Supreme Court against the government and won ever before, btw? [/QUOTE] Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![usar\_jag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@usar\_jag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usar_jag)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766/66 "2006-10-11T02:55:21Z")
[QUOTE=usar\_jag] Absolutely. [/QUOTE] I left out the word “not.” The first case of an active duty JA to argue a case before the Supremes was a Marine Maj. David Jonas in the case Davis v. United States, 512 U.S. 452 (1994). I had my head up my posterior when I responded, and thought that Supreme Court = Military Court of Appeals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-jag-out-on-his-eear/375766.md?page=3)