Administration Drops Effort to Influence JAG Promotions
The general counsel of the Defense Department has ditched a controversial plan that would have given the administration a say in the promotions of military lawyers.
The plan would have allowed politically appointed lawyers in the Pentagon to veto the promotions of lawyers in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, the Boston Globe reports. Defense Department general counsel Jim Haynes dropped the proposal because of negative feedback, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell told the Globe.
Retired military lawyers had objected to the plan, saying it would allow the White House to penalize members of the JAG Corps who disagreed with administration legal policies or to block the advancement of those likely to speak out.
But Morrell said Haynes had advanced the idea to improve quality control rather than to inject politics into promotions.
A hat tip to How Appealing, which posted the story.
