Section 151 - Kinds of courts-martial; procedures; jurisdiction; military judges; judge advocates(a) Courts-martial shall be of 3 kinds: general, special and summary. These courts shall be constituted like similar courts-martial of the Army and Air Force of the United States to the extent practicable. (1) Convictions by general and special courts-martial will be recorded in accordance with section 8508 of Title 11 and the rules and regulations promulgated by the DELJIS Board of Directors.(2) Any conviction by a summary court-martial or by non-judicial punishment is not a criminal conviction and not reportable and shall not be transmitted pursuant to § 8508 of Title 11.(b) These courts-martial shall have the jurisdiction and powers as specified in regulations adopted and promulgated by the Adjutant General that shall conform as far as practicable to the Uniform Code of Military Justice ( 10 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.) ("UCMJ") and the Manual for Courts-Martial of the United States so long as not inconsistent with the provisions of this subchapter. (1) This subchapter applies to all members of the state military forces at all times even outside the State. Subject matter jurisdiction under this subchapter is established if a nexus exists between an offense, either "military only" or "military," and the state military force.(2) The Punitive Articles (Part IV) of the Manual for Courts-Martial and Subchapter X of the UCMJ (collectively known as "Articles") constitute prosecutable offenses. Any offense prosecuted by a general or special court-martial shall constitute a misdemeanor offense. Any offense prosecuted by a summary court-martial or by non-judicial punishment is not a criminal offense.a. The term "military only offense" means those offenses prescribed under articles 77 (Principals), 78 (Accessory after the fact), 80 (Attempts), 81 (Conspiracy), 82 (Solicitation), 83 (Fraudulent enlistment, appointment, or separation), 84 (Unlawful enlistment, appointment, or separation), 85 (Desertion), 86 (Absence without leave), 87 (Missing movement), 88 (Contempt toward officials), 89 (Disrespect towards superior commissioned officer), 90 (Assaulting or willfully disobeying superior commissioned officer), 91 (Insubordinate conduct toward warrant officer, noncommissioned officer, or petty officer), 92 (Failure to obey order or regulation), 93 (Cruelty and maltreatment), 94 (Mutiny or sedition), 95 (Resistance, flight, breach of arrest, and escape), 96 (Releasing prisoner without proper authority), 97 (Unlawful detention), 98 (Noncompliance with procedural rules), 99 (Misbehavior before the enemy), 100 (Subordinate compelling surrender), 101 (Improper use of countersign), 102 (Forcing a safeguard), 103 (Captured or abandoned property), 104 (Aiding the enemy), 105 (Misconduct as prisoner), 107 (False official statements), 108 (Military property Loss, damage, destruction, or wrongful disposition), 109 (Property other than military property Waste, spoilage, or destruction), 110 (Improper hazarding of vessel), 112 (Drunk on duty), 112a. (Wrongful use, possession, etc., of controlled substances), 113 (Misbehavior of sentinel), 114 (Dueling), 115 (Malingering), 116 (Riot or breach of peace), 117 (Provoking speeches or gestures), 132 (Frauds against the government), 133 (Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman), 134 (General article) and any other offense listed under the Articles without a civilian equivalent.b. The term "military offense" means those offenses prescribed under articles 111 (Drunken or reckless operation of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel), 118 (Murder), 119 (Manslaughter), 120 (Rape and sexual assault), 120a (Stalking), 120c (Other sexual misconduct), 121 (Larceny and wrongful appropriation), 122 (Robbery), 123 (Forgery), 123a (Making, drawing, or uttering check, draft or order without sufficient funds), 124 (Maiming), 126 (Arson), 127 (Extortion), 128 (Assault), 129 (Burglary), 130 (Housebreaking), and 131 (Perjury).c. The Articles and the implementing regulations adopted by the Adjutant General shall be of the same force and effect as if they had been set forth at length in this section.(3) When an act or omission constitutes a violation of both this subchapter and another law of Delaware or local, municipal law or ordinance foreign or domestic, a court-martial may be initiated only after the Attorney General or other civilian authority has declined to prosecute or dismissed the charge, provided jeopardy has not attached.(c) These courts shall use the forms and procedures as established for similar courts of the Army and Air Force of the United States, as adopted by regulation by the Adjutant General and which regulations shall conform as far as practicable to the Uniform Code of Military Justice ( 10 U.S.C. § 801 et seq.) ("UCMJ") and the Manual for Courts-Martial of the United States. (d) The Adjutant General may designate 1 or more current or retired officers of the Delaware National Guard who is/are/were qualified members of the Judge Advocate General Corps as "Military Judge" for state military justice purposes. A retired officer serving as "Military Judge," while acting in such capacity, must receive a sum equal to the daily pay and allowance of the rank they held when they retired from the Delaware National Guard.
(e) The Delaware National Guard Judge Advocate General Corps shall have responsibility to prosecute military offenses and military only offenses in a trial by courts-martial. Members of the Delaware National Guard Judge Advocate General Corps must be members in good standing of the bar of the highest court of a state and certified or designated as a judge advocate in the Judge Advocate General's Corps of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, or a reserve component of one of these.(f) Any person convicted of a military offense or a military only offense in a court-martial pursuant to this section may appeal a final decision of a general or special courts-martial to the Delaware Superior Court in accordance with the laws of Delaware. A decision of a general or special courts-martial becomes final on the date a sentence is acted upon as specified in sections 152 and 155 of this subchapter, or, when approval of the Governor is also required as specified in section 156 of this subchapter, on the latter date that the Governor approves the sentence. In accordance with Rule 39(a) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, all appeals to the Delaware Superior Court shall be taken within 15 days from the date the general or special courts-martial decision becomes final. In addition to the time restriction in Rule 39(a) of the Rules of Criminal Procedure for the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, Rule 39(c) "On the record", and (h) "Dismissal" shall apply in any appeal of a general or special courts-martial. If, however, the Delaware Adjutant General was not the convening authority of a special court-martial, the defendant must first appeal the decision of a special court-martial to the Delaware Adjutant General within 15 days of the date the convening authority acts upon the sentence, and once the Delaware Adjutant General has rendered a final decision, may further appeal to the Delaware Superior Court in accordance with the laws of Delaware.Amended by Laws 2023, ch. 276,s 1, eff. 6/20/2024.Amended by Laws 2017 , ch. 40, s 1, eff. 6/13/2017.Code 1915, § 310; 32 Del. Laws, c. 22, § 1; 33 Del. Laws, c. 46, § 1; Code 1935, § 273; 20 Del. C. 1953, § 151; 64 Del. Laws, c. 258, §1; 68 Del. Laws, c. 108, §1; 72 Del. Laws, c. 106, § 10.;