[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15054]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               EQUAL JUSTICE FOR OUR MILITARY ACT OF 2011

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                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2011

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2011--a bill that will give our 
servicemembers equal access to the United States Supreme Court.
  We all know that when American men and women decide to serve their 
nation in the Armed Forces, they make many sacrifices--from lost time 
with their families to irreplaceable losses of lives and limbs.
  However, most Americans are not aware that active-duty servicemembers 
also sacrifice one of the fundamental legal rights that all civilian 
Americans enjoy.
  Under current law, members of the military who are convicted of 
offenses under the military justice system do not have the legal right 
to appeal their cases to the U.S. Supreme Court.
  It is unjust to deny the members of our Armed Forces access to our 
system of justice as they fight for our freedom around the world.
  They deserve better.
  As the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, a 
long-time advocate for servicemembers, and a representative of San 
Diego, one of the largest military communities in the nation, I feel an 
obligation to fight to ensure that the members of our military are 
treated fairly.
  Current law weights the playing field in favor of the government, 
granting the automatic right to Supreme Court review to the Department 
of Defense whenever a servicemember wins his or her case, but denying 
servicemembers that same right when the government wins a conviction 
against them in almost all situations. This is just unfair.
  I believe strongly that it is fundamentally unjust to deny those who 
serve on behalf of our country in the military one of the basic rights 
afforded to all other Americans.
  I hope that you will stand with me in support of this legislation to 
attain equal treatment for those who fight for us.

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