The Judge Advocate General’s Corps refers to the judicial segment of any of the United States military forces. JAGs in the Marines, Air Force, and Coast guard maintain active officer status while serving. However JAGs in the Army and Navy only serve as law officials without officer status.
You may remember the popular TV show, JAG which introduced the public to the ideas and procedures that are a part of the military court system. JAGs are commissioned to defend and prosecute based on military law. This law is based on the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This code, also known as UCMJ, is the basis for all legal conduction within the military of the United States. It governs all legal affairs for military officers.
The UCMJ has been in effect for over fifty years as the United States Congress instituted it in 1951. Aside from the UCMJ, the federal and local laws as well as the constitution govern military officers wherever they are serving. However, the Uniform Code of Military Justice is always the main precedent by which court procedures are ordered.
Military courts function with court-martials which are the military personnel selected to act as a jury for the court. Instead of being judged by a jury of civilians, military members are judged by a jury of military personnel. This makes sense because United States officers are held to different precedents and standards than normal civilians.
