United States v. Williamson

I disagree with the majority’s opinion that the appellant’s plea of guilty to committing an attempted assault must be rejected because the record does not establish that his acts went beyond mere preparation. In my opinion, we should affirm the findings and sentence approved below.

I. The Providence Inquiry

During the providence inquiry, the military judge listed the elements of the offense, then defined applicable legal terms. The second element included “you attempted to do bodily harm to Petty Officer Franklin [C]” and the third element included “you did so by going after him with two…