
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 10USC837]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                    Subtitle A--General Military Law
 
                           PART II--PERSONNEL
 
              CHAPTER 47--UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE
 
                     SUBCHAPTER VII--TRIAL PROCEDURE
 
Sec. 837. Art. 37. Unlawfully influencing action of court

    (a) No authority convening a general, special, or summary court-
martial, nor any other commanding officer, may censure, reprimand, or 
admonish the court or any member, military judge, or counsel thereof, 
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 chapter may attempt to coerce 
or, by any unauthorized means, influence the action of a 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 the subsection shall not apply with respect to 
(1) 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, or (2) to statements and instructions given in open 
court by the military judge, president of a special court-martial, or 
counsel.
    (b) 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 armed forces is qualified 
to be advanced, in grade, or in determining the assignment or transfer 
of a member of the armed forces or in determining whether a member of 
the armed forces should be retained on active duty, no person subject to 
this chapter may, in preparing any such report (1) consider or evaluate 
the performance of duty of any such member as a member of a court-
martial, or (2) give a less favorable rating or evaluation of any member 
of the armed forces because of the zeal with which such member, as 
counsel, represented any accused before a court-martial.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 50; Pub. L. 90-632, Sec. 2(13), Oct. 
24, 1968, 82 Stat. 1338.)

                                          Historical and Revision Notes
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---------------------------------
            Revised section                      Source (U.S. Code)            
   Source (Statutes at Large)
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837...................................  50:612.                              Ma
y 5, 1950, ch. 169, Sec.  1 (Art.
                                                                              3
7), 64 Stat. 120.
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---------------------------------

    The word ``may'' is substituted for the word ``shall''.


                               Amendments

    1968--Pub. L. 90-632 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), 
substituted ``military judge'' for ``law officer'', inserted provisions 
specifically exempting instructional or general informational lectures 
on military justice and statements and instructions given in open court 
by the military judge, president of a special court-martial, or counsel 
from prohibitions of subsec. (a), and added subsec. (b).


                    Effective Date of 1968 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 90-632 effective first day of tenth month 
following October 1968, see section 4 of Pub. L. 90-632, set out as a 
note under section 801 of this title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 937 of this title.
