{"id":23162,"date":"2019-01-23T22:49:10","date_gmt":"2019-01-23T22:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/01\/23\/how-the-court-martial-against-the-fitzs-former-co-was-thrown-into-disarray-this-week\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:05:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:05:02","slug":"how-the-court-martial-against-the-fitzs-former-co-was-thrown-into-disarray-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/23\/how-the-court-martial-against-the-fitzs-former-co-was-thrown-into-disarray-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"How the court-martial against the Fitz\u2019s former CO was thrown into disarray this week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court-martial of the former skipper of the guided-missile destroyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/14\/worse-than-you-thought-inside-the-secret-fitzgerald-probe-the-navy-doesnt-want-you-to-read\/\" target=_blank>Fitzgerald<\/a> was tossed into disarray Tuesday when a military judge ruled that the admiral who brought charges against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/11\/16\/defense-team-navy-brass-made-it-impossible-for-former-fitzgerald-skipper-to-get-fair-trial\/\" target=_blank>Cmdr. Bryce Benson<\/a> failed to remain neutral in his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, the decision scraps charges brought against Benson last year because the four-star disqualified himself as a convening authority with his \u201cimproper referral,\u201d judge Capt Jonathan T. Stephens wrote in his opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Navy is reviewing the court\u2019s ruling and assessing legal options,\u201d service spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Day said in an email to Navy Times. \u201cAll future action will be in the best interest of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The flag at fault is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/navybio.asp?bioID=423\" target=\"_blank\">Adm. James F. Caldwell<\/a>, the head of the Navy\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/nnsa\/missions\/powering-navy\" target=\"_blank\">Nuclear Propulsion Program<\/a> and a staffer under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/11\/cno-to-go-to-china\/\" target=\"_blank\">Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson<\/a>, a fellow submariner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CNO named him as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/01\/26\/secrecy-and-uncertainty-surrounds-navy-discipline-for-fatal-ship-collisions\/\" target=_blank>\u201cConsolidated Disposition Authority,\u201d<\/a> or CDA, to mete out discipline for both the June 17, 2017 collision of the Fitz and commercial container vessel ACX Crystal in a bustling maritime corridor off the coast of Japan and a similar disaster near Singapore two months later involving the destroyer John S. McCain and a civilian tanker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seven American sailors drowned in the Fitzgerald accident and 10 were killed on the McCain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benson\u2019s defense attorney, Lt. Cmdr. Justin Henderson, applauded Tuesday\u2019s ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur system\u2019s rules\u2026are designed to guarantee the fundamental right to a fair trial,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cWe are glad the military judge saw this issue our way, and we await a thoughtful and just response from senior Navy leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Henderson continues to call on the Navy to boot the two charges against Benson \u2014 dereliction in the performance of duties through negligence resulting in death and improper hazarding of a vessel \u2014 because of public comments uttered by Navy leaders that he argues have scuttled any chance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/11\/16\/defense-team-navy-brass-made-it-impossible-for-former-fitzgerald-skipper-to-get-fair-trial\/\" target=_blank>for the Fitz\u2019s ex-CO to get a fair trial.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/14\/worse-than-you-thought-inside-the-secret-fitzgerald-probe-the-navy-doesnt-want-you-to-read\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FITZMAIN2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Worse than you thought: inside the secret Fitzgerald probe the Navy doesn\u2019t want you to read<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It was kept secret from the public in part because it was designed to prep the Navy for potential lawsuits in the aftermath of the accident.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his ruling, judge Stephens indicated that Caldwells&#8217; problems began during administrative disciplinary hearings on Jan. 25, 2018 targeting Benson\u2019s executive officer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/03\/15\/former-fitzgerald-xo-navy-crew-members-battling-ptsd-after-fatal-collision\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cmdr. Sean Babbitt<\/a>, and Command Master Chief Brice Baldwin, the senior enlisted sailor on board the Fitz during the collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During those non-judicial punishment proceedings and a hearing involving an unnamed third Fitz officer, Caldwell asked questions \u201cdesigned to gather evidence\u201d against Benson, Stephens determined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That shifted Caldwell from a neutral arbiter of facts into the role of an accuser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cADM Caldwell asked specific questions about (Benson), at least two of which were at the behest of trial counsel,\u201d Stephens ruled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a problem Caldwell could\u2019ve sidestepped had he simply completed the NJP hearings \u201cwithout asking the highlighted questions about (Benson),&#8221; Stephens wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caldwell also could\u2019ve reviewed prior official probes into the collisions, \u201cremoving the need to ask questions again at the hearings,\u201d Stephens added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caldwell ran afoul of the law a second time because of a hearing he oversaw last March against Capt. Jeffrey Bennett, the former commodore of Destroyer Squadron 15, according to the ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The admiral stated that Benson and the McCain\u2019s ex-commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, \u201cwere directly responsible for, and could have prevented, the collisions,&#8221; Stephens found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Had Caldwell never mentioned Benson\u2019s alleged culpability \u201cthere would be no issue,&#8221; but his &#8220;pronouncement of the accused\u2019s guilt further demonstrates that he had assumed a prosecutorial role in this case,\u201d Stephens wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Caldwell did not respond to an email from Navy Times seeking comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/14\/a-warship-doomed-by-confusion-indecision-and-ultimately-panic-on-the-bridge\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/CROP-babbitt-Fitz-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A warship doomed by \u2018confusion, indecision, and ultimately panic\u2019 on the bridge<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A secret Navy report looks at the ways leaders could have averted the deadly destroyer Fitzgerald collision.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stephens stopped short of dismissing all charges against Benson and it remains unclear what his latest ruling means both for the Navy\u2019s prosecution of Benson but also a similar case against a fellow Fitz officer, Lt. Natalie Combs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Navy Capt. Lawrence Brennan, an instructor at Fordham University School of Law, told Navy Times on Thursday that the military must name a new convening authority, but that\u2019s complicated by a motion filed by Henderson that alleges Adm. Richardson and his deputy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/navydata\/bios\/navybio.asp?bioID=483\" target=_blank>Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Bill Moran<\/a>, committed unlawful command influence against Benson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dubbed the \u201cmortal enemy of military justice,\u201d UCI occurs when superiors utter words or take actions that taint the outcome of courts-martial, jeopardize the appellate process or undermine public confidence in the armed forces by appearing to tip the scales of justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To Brennan, that likely means the next highest leader, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, will be asked to pick a new convening authority but \u201cwe need to see how this will impact the rehearing in the unlawful command influence motion.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any replacement for Caldwell must be a flag officer \u201cwho has not run his or her mouth about the case and has no track record of opining about the guilt or innocence or any other appearances of impartiality that were the concern of the judge,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mclainmilitarylawyer.com\/\">Patrick McLain<\/a>, a retired Marine Corps judge now in private practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While noting the appearance of UCI in Benson\u2019s case, Stephens so far has ruled ruling only that Benson\u2019s defense should receive expanded options when a panel is selected to act as his jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/14\/the-ghost-in-the-fitzs-machine-why-a-doomed-warships-crew-never-saw-the-vessel-that-hit-it\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/D3-Fitzgerald-Damage-2-3492920.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The ghost in the Fitz\u2019s machine: why a doomed warship\u2019s crew never saw the vessel that hit it<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A secret Navy report details broken sensors that were reported for repairs but never fixed; schedule changes ordered by superiors high above the Fitz\u2019s command triad that delayed crucial maintenance; taped-up radar controls and, worse, sailors who had no idea how to use the technology.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The civilian defense attorney for Lt. Combs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarydefense.com\/\" target=_blank>David Sheldon<\/a>, has also questioned Caldwell\u2019s impartiality and raised similar UCI issues in his court filings, but the judge in her case hasn\u2019t issued rulings on the motions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sheldon told Navy Times that if Caldwell unlawfully assumed a prosecutorial role in the Benson case then the &#8220;same is true in LT Combs\u2019 case.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A preliminary Article 32 officer sifting through evidence against Combs recommended that she forgo a court-martial trial and instead appear before a board of inquiry to determine if she should remain on active duty, but Caldwell overruled that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnfortunately, this is yet another black eye for the Navy,\u201d Sheldon said. \u201cHigh profile cases, like the Fitzgerald collision cases \u2026serve as stark reminders that unlawful command actions undermine the integrity of the military justice system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/09\/06\/the-navys-top-lawyer-unlawfully-scuttled-a-seals-case-court-rules\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"171\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Crawford2.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">The Navy\u2019s top lawyer unlawfully scuttled a SEAL\u2019s case, court rules<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The victory of Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Keith E. Barry \u2014 who always insisted on his innocence \u2014 will ripple across the entire military.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples of cases tainted by unlawful command influence and a lack of impartiality by convening flag officers are not rare, according to McLain, the retired Marine judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He pointed to retired <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/09\/06\/the-navys-top-lawyer-unlawfully-scuttled-a-seals-case-court-rules\/\" target=_blank>Vice Adm. James W. Crawford III<\/a>, the former top lawyer of the Navy, and a Sept. 15 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces that found he improperly meddled in the clemency proceedings against Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Keith E. Barry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The justices overturned Barry\u2019s rape conviction and the government was forced to vacate all charges against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sheldon represented Barry in his precedent-setting appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Navy also could appeal Stephens&#8217; ruling against Caldwell but that\u2019s probably not going to happen, according to McLain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey may send it to the shoals. It may be too hard, but in my experience, they\u2019re just going to go back to the drawing board,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A judge ruled that the four-star tasked with weighing evidence before charging Cmdr. Bryce Benson failed to stay neutral and took on the role of a prosecutor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":26950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","left-column","home","middle-column","disaster"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,22,23,88,89,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3355],"class_list":["post-23162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-disaster","category-home","category-left-column","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"66JTRDREGJBKTHAPJCSUPUIRFU","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2019\/01\/23\/how-the-court-martial-against-the-fitzs-former-co-was-thrown-into-disarray-this-week\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How the court-martial against the Fitz\u2019s former CO was thrown into disarray this week - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A judge ruled that the four-star tasked with weighing evidence before charging Cmdr. Bryce Benson failed to stay neutral and took on the role of a prosecutor.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How the court-martial against the Fitz\u2019s former CO was thrown into disarray this week\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A judge ruled that the four-star tasked with weighing evidence before charging Cmdr. 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