Customer Reviews

Naval Law: Justice and Procedure in the Sea Services

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Naval Law is a thorough overview of the fascinating legal specialty known as military justice. As a law student interested in the JAG Corps, I have not found a more comprehensive description of the subject matter practiced by military lawyers. From courts-martial to non-judicial punishment, the reader will quickly recognize how justice and discipline compete in what the United States Supreme Court has called a specialized society, namely the United States military services. -- Jim Sanzi, Boston College Law Student

I bought Filbert and Kaufman's book for my collection of military law books. One of my areas of practice is military law. Yes, like all volumes, the march of time means that you must update your information, but that is true of any area of law. Still, most of the book remains accurate and presents a coherent and readable summary of military law and U.S.Naval Justice law in particular. The international and law of war sections are excellent. I admit to stealing liberally from them for oral briefings with troops. Any commanding officer having this book on his or her shelf has access to an excellent summary. It is a springboard for additional learning. Recommended.

Until recently, this book was a staple of basic military justice at the U.S. Naval Academy. Unfortunately, in the years since it was written, several aspects of military justice have changed dramatically. New cases in search and seizure and self-incrimination; fascinating developments in the laws of armed conflict; and the natural procedural "creep" of jurisprudence have all conspired to limit the usefulness of this otherwise well-written text.

Despite the above criticism, Mr. Filbert's book is still heads and tails above the texts currently used at the other service academies. Likewise, its utility as a basic outline of military justice to the novice reader should not be over looked.

I have heard that a new edition is in the works. I am hopeful that it will correct the deficiencies of the third edition.