Sec. 39.
(1) At any time after the service of charges which have been referred for trial to a court-martial composed of a military judge and members, the military judge may call the court into session without the presence of the members for the purpose of any of the following:
(a) Hearing and determining motions raising a defense or objections which are capable of determination without trial of the issues raised by a plea of not guilty.
(b) Hearing and ruling on a matter which may be ruled upon by the military judge, whether or not the matter is appropriate for later consideration or decision by the members of the court.
(c) Holding the arraignment and receiving the plea of the accused.
(d) Performing any other procedural function which may be performed by the military judge under section 26 which does not require the presence of the members of the court.
(2) The proceedings under subsection (1) shall be conducted in the presence of the accused, the defense counsel, and the trial counsel and shall be made a part of the record.
(3) When the members of a court-martial deliberate or vote, only the members may be present. All other proceedings, including any other consultation of the members of the court with counsel or the military judge, shall be made a part of the record and shall be in the presence of the accused, the defense counsel, the trial counsel, and the military judge.
History: 1980, Act 523, Eff. Mar. 31, 1981
Last modified: October 10, 2016