United States v. Dunbar

Opinion of the Court

EVERETT, Chief Judge:

In October 1985, a military judge sitting alone as a special court-martial convicted appellant, pursuant to his pleas, of a single unauthorized absence of 78 days and sentenced him to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for 1 month, forfeiture of $413, and reduction to the lowest enlisted grade.1 Pursuant to a pretrial agreement, the convening authority was obligated to disapprove the confinement and the forfeiture, but instead he approved the trial results despite the recommendation of the Staff Judge Advocate. Yet the undated court-martial order…