United States v. Pressey

Opinion of the Court

Quinn, Chief Judge:

A special court-martial, convened in the Republic of Vietnam, convicted the accused of assault with a deadly weapon upon Staff Sergeant Jack B. Ridley, in violation of Article 128, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 USC § 928, and sentenced him to a bad-conduct discharge, confinement at hard labor for six months, and accessory penalties. Intermediate appellate authorities have affirmed the conviction, and we granted review to consider the correctness of various instructions.

One of the instructions dealt with the right of self-defense. The Government…