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The article reports on the relationship between military courts and the All Writs Act established by the Act of Congress. Topics discussed include under this act the orders can be passed by the court or the government to participate in or avoid any activity, Federal courts may issue writs to confine lower courts to the lawful exercise and various cases where the Court of Military Appeals is not authorized to review under the governing statutes.

The article focuses on the failure to provide dockets to reporters who try to access official military justice proceedings in the U.S. Matt Freedus, a lawyer who handles military access issues, explains that the First Amendment right to attend hearings does not mean much without a docket or some form of adequate notice. The U.S. Court of Military Appeals has described the broad access the public is entitled to in military justice proceedings. It is indicated that "The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot" newspaper reporter Tim McGlone is familiar with the curtailment on reporting wrought by a lack of a military docket. INSET: Glossary of military justice.

Reports on the ruling issued by the Court of Military Appeals which affirmed the 1992 conviction of Marine 1st Lieutenant Frank L. Reister for adultery, fraternization, sodomy and assault. Background of Reister's case; Overview of the trial which Reister underwent; Complaints made by Reister regarding the evidences which the court used to convict him.

Report on a case against Army captain Ricardo Nieves and a request made to the United States (U.S.) Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Background information.

Report that Hispanic sailor Eric Martinez was granted a new trial by the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to hear his claims that he stabbed M.J. Dapper in 1990 out of self-defense. Reversal of a court-martial judge's conviction of Martinez for unpremeditated murder and assault for 10 years imprisonment; Reason behind the appeals court's decision; Details of the incident.

Reports that Andrew Effron, former lawyer for the Senate Armed Services Committee, has won Senate confirmation for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Nomination from President Clinton; Potential problems of command influence in legal cases; Career background; Objectives for the military justice system.

Reports on the resurrection of military death penalty in the United States. Chance given by the Court of Military Appeals to military men who were convicted of murder; Convicted military men who were given the chance to appeal their cases in court; Issue concerning the constitutionality of aggravating factors in military capital cases.

Reports on three battlefield theft cases in the United States. US military's call for the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to uphold their right to search for and recover government property that service members have stolen from battlefields.

Reports that U.S. Court of Military Appeals forbids fraternization under military custom in Washington. Guidelines for contacts between officers and enlisted men; Emphasis on the charges of sodomy; Reliance of the court on the unwritten law.