Akbar v. United States

Brief of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner (on Petition for Writ of Certiorari).

Brief filed: 05/09/2016

Documents

Akbar v. United States

United States Supreme Court; Case No. 15-1257

Prior Decision

Case below No. 13-7001, Crim. App. No. 20050514 (C.A.A.F., Aug. 19, 2015).

Argument(s)

The Court should overrule Loving v. United States, which is no longer good law in light of Ring v. Arizona. Rules for Courts-Martial 1004 violates constitutional separation-of-powers principles. Only Congress may define the elements of a criminal offense. The foregoing separation-of-powers principles apply equally in the military justice system.

Author(s)

Michael A. Scodro, Clifford W. Berlow, Briana T. Sprick Schuster, Kevin J. Murphy, and William M. Strom, Jenner & Block LLP, Chicago, IL; Jonathan Hacker, Washington, DC.