| |
134.50
Figure 13-2.-On the naval base at Norfolk, Virginia, are the chapels of three faiths under one
roof. To the left is the Protestant chapel; to the right, the Catholic chapel; and connecting the
two, the Jewish chapel.
proven value of the Solicitor’s function moved
Secretary Welles to request legislative ratification
of the new legal office. By the act of 2 March 1865,
Congress established the Office of Solicitor and
Naval Judge Advocate.
The act of Congress on 8 June 1880 estab-
lished the Office of the Judge Advocate General of
the Navy as we know it today. This legislation
placed upon the Judge Advocate General the duty
to “receive, revise, and have recorded the
proceedings of all courts-martial, courts of inquiry,
and boards for the examination of officers for
retirement and promotion in the naval service,
and to perform such other duties as have
heretofore been performed by the Solicitor and
Naval Judge Advocate General.” The Judge
Advocate General was given cognizance over all
legal matters, of whatever kind, that affected the
interest of the Navy.
Before World War II, Navy lawyers were
usually line officers with legal training. Their
tours of legal duty, usually in the Office of the
Judge Advocate General, alternated with tours of
line duty at sea. During the war, many lawyers
served in both line and legal functions throughout
the world.
The idea of organizing the Navy’s uniformed
lawyers into a distinctive professional group
performing only legal functions was first
considered a number of years ago. In 1945 the
Secretary of the Navy convened the McGuire
Committee, chaired by Matthew F. McGuire, a
prominent civilian lawyer. The committee
examined court-martial procedures under the
Articles for the Government of the Navy. The
committee’s November 1945 report to the
Secretary formally recommended the establish-
ment of a Judge Advocate General’s Corps in
which officers would perform legal duties only.
The recommendation of the McGuire Com-
mittee prompted Secretary of the Navy James V.
Forrestal to appoint a board to look further into
the question. Headed by Arthur A. Ballantine of
the New York Bar, the board finished its report in
April 1946. The report concluded that World War
II had proven beyond all question the need
for a large number of lawyers to perform
legal duties on a continuous basis. However, it
13-7
|
