United States v. Crawford

Opinion of the Court

Robert E. Quinn, Chief Judge:

On his plea of guilty, a special court-martial convicted the accused of unauthorized absence and adjudged a sentence which included a bad-conduct discharge and reduction to the grade of private. Intermediate appellate authorities affirmed the findings of guilty and the sentence with some modification of the latter. The Acting The Judge Advocate General of the Navy certified the following question for our consideration:

“Whether the reduction in grade portion of the sentence is legal.”

The certified question has its basis in the sentence…