Guam § 63706 - Judge Advocates/Legal Officers.

§ 63706. Judge Advocates/Legal Officers.

(a) Appointment.

(1) The Adjutant General shall appoint an officer of the Guam military forces as Guam Judge

Advocate General. To be eligible for appointment, an officer must have graduated from an ABA

accredited law school, be a member in good standing of a bar of a Federal Court or the highest court

of a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia, be federally

recognized by the National Guard Bureau as a judge advocate for at least five (5) years or have been

appointed a judge advocate by an United States Armed Force pursuant to Article 27 of the Uniform

Code of Military Justice for a minimum of five (5) years or a combination of National Guard Bureau

or Armed Forces recognition for the minimum five (5) years and have completed The Judge Advocate

General’s School Advance Course of the Army or Air Force.

(2) The Adjutant General shall appoint judge advocates upon the recommendation of the Guam

Judge Advocate General. To be eligible for appointment, an officer must be a member of the bar of a

Federal Court or of the highest court of a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the

District of Columbia. The Guam Judge Advocate General shall not recommend an officer for final

appointment approval to the Adjutant General until said officer has been federally recognized as a

judge advocate by the National Guard Bureau.

(3) The Guam Judge Advocate General shall appoint or designate a legal officer. For an individual

to be eligible to be designated or appointed as legal officer he must be a member of the bar of a Federal

Court or of the highest court of a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States or the District

of Columbia.

(4) The Guam Judge Advocate General or his assistants shall make frequent inspections in the

field in supervision of the administration of military justice.

(5) Convening authorities shall at all times communicate directly with their staff judge advocates

or legal officers in matters relating to the administration of military justice; and the staff judge advocate

or legal officers of any command are entitled to communicate directly with the staff judge advocate or

legal officers of a superior or subordinate command, or with the Guam Judge Advocate General.

(6) No person who has acted as member, military judge, trial counsel, assistant trial counsel,

defense counsel, assistant defense counsel, or investigating officer, or who has been a witness for either

the prosecution or defense in any case may later act as staff judge advocate or legal officer to any

reviewing authority upon the same case.

COL 2026-04-23

(7) In the absence, or lack, of a qualifying Guam Judge Advocate General, the most senior judge

advocate within the Guam military forces may perform duties as such for a period not to exceed one

hundred twenty (120) days unless continued as authorized herein, providing that he or she is so

designated by the Adjutant General and the Acting Guam Judge Advocate General so designated meets

all the requirements set out in this Subarticle except that for the number of years as a judge advocate

and completion of the Judge Advocate General’s School Advance Course of an Armed Force of the

United States. Nothing contained herein shall limit the Adjutant General’s authority to redesignate a

judge advocate as the Acting Guam Judge Advocate provided no other judge advocate within the Guam

military forces meet the qualifications for Guam Judge Advocate as set out in this subarticle.