Article 32 Preliminary Hearing Brief

ARTICLE 32 PRELIMINARY HEARING BRIEF

CASE INFORMATION

Case Number: [________________________________]

Preliminary Hearing Officer (PHO): [________________________________]

Date of Hearing: [__/__/____]

Location: [________________________________]

ACCUSED INFORMATION

Name: [________________________________]

Rank/Grade: [________________________________]

Branch of Service: [________________________________]

Unit: [________________________________]

Duty Station: [________________________________]

Military Defense Counsel: [________________________________]

Civilian Defense Counsel (if applicable): [________________________________]

CHARGES AND SPECIFICATIONS

Charge I: Violation of Article [____], UCMJ

Specification 1:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

Specification 2 (if applicable):
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

Charge II: Violation of Article [____], UCMJ (if applicable)

Specification 1:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

I. PRELIMINARY MATTERS

A. Purpose of Article 32 Hearing

The Article 32 preliminary hearing serves to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and that the accused committed it, whether the convening authority has court-martial jurisdiction over the accused and the offense, and whether a specification alleges an offense under the UCMJ.

B. Defense Requests

☐ The defense requests an in-person hearing
☐ The defense requests a telephonic/video hearing
☐ The defense waives the Article 32 hearing
☐ The defense requests the following witnesses be produced:

☐ The defense requests the following documents/evidence:

II. STATEMENT OF FACTS

A. Background

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

B. Government's Allegations

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

C. Defense Position

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

III. LEGAL ARGUMENT

A. Lack of Probable Cause

The government has failed to establish probable cause for the following reasons:

1. Insufficient Evidence:
   [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

2. Credibility Issues:
   [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

3. Inconsistent Statements:
   [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

B. Jurisdictional Issues (if applicable)

☐ The convening authority lacks jurisdiction because:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

C. Defects in Charges/Specifications

☐ The specification fails to state an offense because:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

☐ The specification is multiplicious with Specification [____] of Charge [____] because:
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

IV. EVIDENTIARY MATTERS

A. Evidence Supporting Defense Position

B. Witness Testimony Summary

Witness 1: [________________________________]

• Expected testimony: [________________________________]
• Relevance: [________________________________]

Witness 2: [________________________________]

• Expected testimony: [________________________________]
• Relevance: [________________________________]

C. Challenges to Government Evidence

☐ The following evidence should be excluded:

V. DEFENSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO PHO

The defense respectfully requests that the Preliminary Hearing Officer recommend:

☐ Dismissal of all charges and specifications
☐ Dismissal of Charge [____], Specification [____]
☐ Referral to a lower forum (Special Court-Martial or Non-Judicial Punishment)
☐ No referral to any court-martial
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Reasons Supporting Recommendation:

1. [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

2. [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

3. [________________________________]
   [________________________________]

VI. MATTERS IN MITIGATION AND EXTENUATION

A. Military Service Record

• Time in Service: [________________________________]
• Deployments: [________________________________]
• Awards and Decorations: [________________________________]
• Performance Evaluations: [________________________________]
• Prior Disciplinary Record: [________________________________]

B. Personal Circumstances

[________________________________]
[________________________________]
[________________________________]

C. Character Evidence

☐ Letters of support attached (Exhibit [____])
☐ Character witness statements attached (Exhibit [____])

VII. CONCLUSION

For the foregoing reasons, the defense respectfully requests that the Preliminary Hearing Officer recommend [dismissal of charges / referral to a lower forum / no referral to court-martial / other specified relief].

CERTIFICATION

I, the undersigned defense counsel, certify that this brief is submitted in good faith and that all statements contained herein are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Defense Counsel Signature: [________________________________]

Printed Name: [________________________________]

Rank/Title: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

Contact Information:

• Phone: [________________________________]
• Email: [________________________________]

ATTACHMENTS CHECKLIST

☐ Exhibit A: [________________________________]
☐ Exhibit B: [________________________________]
☐ Exhibit C: [________________________________]
☐ Character Letters
☐ Service Record Documents
☐ Other: [________________________________]

SERVICE CERTIFICATION

I certify that a copy of this brief and all attachments was served on the Trial Counsel on [__/__/____] by:

☐ Hand delivery
☐ Email to: [________________________________]
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Signature: [________________________________]

Date: [__/__/____]

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

• 10 U.S.C. § 832 - Article 32, UCMJ
• Manual for Courts-Martial (2024 Edition)
• Naval Justice School Article 32 PHO Guide

This template is provided for educational and informational purposes. Each military branch may have specific procedural requirements. Always verify current regulations and consult with qualified military legal counsel.