Illinois Law professors Lesley M. Wexler and Anthony Ghiotto discuss the unprecedented removal of top military legal advisors (TJAGs) by the Trump administration and its potential consequences for military legal independence, the rule of law, and democratic governance. Professors Wexler and Ghiotto argue that these firings undermine the TJAGs’ role as independent legal advisors, threaten adherence to military justice and international law, and could either facilitate unlawful actions or create a chilling effect on military lawyers, potentially threatening democracy and national defense.
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