2016 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 25 - Military, Civil Defense and Veterans Affairs
CHAPTER 1 - MILITARY CODE
Section 25-1-2695. Unlawfully influencing action of court.

(1) No authority convening a general, special, or summary court-martial nor any other commander or officer serving on the staff of the court-martial may censure, reprimand, or admonish the court or any member, military judge, or counsel with respect to the findings or sentence adjudged by the court, or with respect to any other exercise of its or his functions in the conduct of the proceeding. No person subject to this code may attempt to coerce or, by an unauthorized means, influence the action of the court-martial or any other military tribunal or any member thereof in reaching the findings or sentence in any case, or the action of any convening, approving, or reviewing authority with respect to his judicial acts. The foregoing provisions of this subsection do not apply with respect to:

(A) general instructional or informational courses in military justice, if such courses are designed solely for the purpose of instructing members of a command in the substantive and procedural aspects of courts-martial;

(B) statements and instructions given in open court by the military judge, president of a special court-martial, or counsel.

(2) In the preparation of an effectiveness, fitness, or efficiency report or any other report or document used in whole or in part for the purpose of determining whether a member of the military forces is qualified to be advanced in grade, or in determining the assignment or transfer of a member of the military forces, or in determining whether a member of the military forces should be retained on active duty, no person subject to the Code of Military Justice may, in preparing any such report:

(A) consider or evaluate the performance of duty of the member as a member of a court-martial;

(B) give a less favorable rating or evaluation of any member of the state military forces because of the zeal with which the member, as counsel, represented any accused before a court-martial.

HISTORY: 1984 Act No. 378, Section 28.