Brig. Gen. Charles N. Pede, U.S. Army Legal Services Agency commander, took up the post of chief judge for the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals Monday during an investiture ceremony in the ACCA courtroom at USALSA Headquarters on Fort Belvoir.
The Judge Advocate General also appointed Brig. Gen. Ural D. Glanville, U.S. Army Reserve, to the Court as Chief Judge (Individual Mobilization Augmentee) to fill Pede's role in his absence, and Col. Denise R. Lind and Col. Lorianne M. Campanella as associate judges.
The new judges memorialized their new appointments in open court by donning judicial robes for the first time and taking the Judicial Oath of Office in front of Family members, friends and the full bench.
Lt. Gen. Flora D. Darpino, The Judge Advocate General, hosted the ceremony.
As judges for the Army Court of Criminal appeals, the new judges will be responsible for helping the court "to balance good order and discipline along with the rights of the accused," Darpino said.
"It's always under scrutiny, this military justice system. This court is also important because it has to function as Congress intends but also as the President orders and also as the Constitution, more than anything, demands. It's balancing those things that we ask of our judges on this court," she said.
Military judges need to have certain qualities to sit on this court, she added, including leadership, scholarship, wisdom and the ability to work as a team.
"They lead from the bench. They must have scholarship. Then there's wisdom or judgment. Each of them has that in spades and we know that, based on the assignments that we've given them, (and) the fact that they're all battle tested and can do all of those things under incredible stress," Darpino said. "There's one other thing that we demand from them that we demand from every Soldier, and that is to be able to work in a team. If they can't work as a team … then military justice grinds to a halt. The individuals that we have selected to sit here and (put on) the black robes are up to that challenge."
Darpino also thanked the Families of the new judges for their support.
"You should be very proud of your Family members for what they have achieved to be a part of this honorable court and to do the important business of military justice -- to be that beacon for our military justice system," she told them.
After donning his robe, Pede thanked Darpino and the court members for their good faith.
"It's a very humbling privilege to be here today as now the chief judge of this honorable court," he said. "I thank the members of this court for their education, patience and professionalism."
The ceremony is part of the history of the court and maintains court traditions, according to Maj. Theo Voudouris, assistant executive officer for USALSA.
During the ceremony, the Clerk of Court described the history of wearing robes in court. Judicial robes date back to ancient times when clerics wore them to handle disputes between people as well as between people and God, he said. Today, the robe has evolved from a symbol of authority to a symbol of responsibility. Military review boards began wearing robes when the boards became true courts through the Military Justice Act of 1968.
For more information on the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, visit www.jagcnet.army.mil/8525749F007224E4.
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