United States v. Silva

Opinion of the Court

GEORGE W. LatimeR, Judge:

Pursuant to his plea of guilty, the accused sailor was convicted by special court-martial of an unauthorized absence of some fifty-one days, in violation of Article 86, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 USC § 886. He was sentenced to bad-conduct discharge and reduction to the grade of fireman recruit. Intermediate authorities have affirmed the findings and sentence, and we granted accused’s petition for review to determine whether certain written Department of Navy Instructions, which were apparently present in the courtroom throughout the…