Militaryjustice News

Judge Throws Out Bowe Bergdahl's Desertion Conviction

A US judge has vacated the military conviction of Bowe Bergdahl, a former army soldier who pleaded guilty to desertion after leaving his post in Afghanistan and being captured and tortured by the Taliban. The judge ruled that the military judge overseeing the court-martial failed to disclose a potential conflict of interest, as he had applied for a job as an immigration judge. While rejecting the argument of undue command influence, the judge stated that a reasonable person could question the judge's impartiality. Bergdahl's conviction and sentence had been upheld by military appeals courts before his lawyers took the case to the US district court, resulting in the recent ruling.