Lt. Robert McRight, Navy Victims' Legal Counsel (VLC) Naples, Italy participated in a military justice panel in Santa Maria Capua Vetere on May 25, 2018.
The panel, entitled "Magistratura Militare: Nuove Attribuzioni per l'Efficientamento della Giurisdizione," (translation: Military Judiciary: New Attributions for the Efficiency of the Jurisdiction) featured several Italian military magistrates, prosecutors, and academics, as well as McRight. Hosted by the Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza of the Universita degli Studi della Campania, Luigi Vanvitelli, the panelists discussed the topic of military criminal jurisdiction within the Italian system before an auditorium of law students and Italian military professionals.
McRight was invited to present on the Navy JAG Corps’ role and mission function, with an emphasis on jurisdiction within the U.S. military justice system.
“The event organizers and participants were extremely kind and welcoming to me,” said McRight. “It was interesting to hear our partners in a totally different context discussing some of the very same legal issues we often discuss in our Navy JAG Corps.” “It's important to remember that there is a great deal of wisdom beyond our Corps and beyond our shores,” he added.
This panel is only the latest in the ongoing relationship between Navy judge advocates serving in Naples, Italy and our community’s Italian counterparts. Previous interactions have included joint training evolutions in Rome and witnessing courts-martial. These types of engagements build stronger partnerships with host nation partners and create unique environments for legal comparison and learning.