Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

James L. Pohl is an American lawyer and officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

. He is notable for having been appointed as a judge on a

Guantanamo military commission ThGuantanamo military commissionswere established by President George W. Bush – through a Military Order – on November 13, 2001, to try certain non-citizen terrorism suspects at the Guantanamo Bay prison. To date, there have been a total of e ...

. He is presiding over the Commission of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad,

Walid bin Attash Walid Muhammad Salih bin Mubarak bin Attash ( ar, وليد محمد صالح بن مبارك بن عتش; born 1978) is a Yemeni prisoner held in extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp and is suspected of pla ...

Ramzi bin al-Shibh Ramzi Mohammed Abdullah bin al-Shibh ( ar, رمزي محمد عبدالله بن الشيبة; also transliterated as bin al-Shaibah; born 1 May 1972Ammar al-Baluchi, and

Mustafa al-Hawsawi Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi ( ar, مصطفى احمد ادم هوساوي; born August 5, 1968) is a Saudi Arabian citizen. He is alleged to have acted as a key financial facilitator for the September 11 attacks in the United States. Mustafa ...

. From November 2011 to July 2014, Pohl also presided over the military commission of Abd el-Rahim al-Nashiri. He is notable for serving as the judge of several of the GIs in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse cases, and barring the demolition of Abu Ghraib prison because he had ruled it a crime scene. In December 2008, Pohl was appointed to replace

Ralph Kohlmann Ralph Harold Kohlmann is an American lawyer and retired United States Marine Corps officer. Education Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, Kohlmann is a 1976 graduate of Ramapo High School. Military career For his first seven years as an officer, ...

as the Chief Presiding Officer for the Military Commissions. Pohl received his J.D. from

Pepperdine University Pepperdine University () is a private research university affiliated with the Churches of Christ with its main campus in Los Angeles County, California. Pepperdine's main campus consists of 830 acres (340 ha) overlooking the Pacific Ocean and th ...

in 1978.

Suspension of Guantanamo Hearings

On January 29, 2009, Pohl denied the request of the Obama Administration to delay proceeding for 120 days in the case of

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri Abd al-Rahim Hussein Muhammed Abdu al-Nashiri (; ar, عبد الرحيم حسين محمد عبده النشري; born January 5, 1965) is a Saudi Arabian citizen alleged to be the mastermind of the bombing of USS ''Cole'' and other maritime ...

. Pohl argued that tribunal rules give the judges sole authority to delay cases and that postponing proceedings against

was not reasonable and "does not serve the interest of justice". According to Carol Rosenberg, writing in the '' Miami Herald'', Pohl's ruling stated: : According to Guantanamo spokesman Commander Jeffrey Gordon: "The Department of Defense is currently reviewing Judge Pohl's ruling. We will be in compliance with the president's orders regarding Guantánamo." According to ''

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

'', Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said that Pohl would be directed to comply with Obama's executive order. On February 5, 2009, the charges were dismissed without prejudice by the convening authority.

Assigned to investigate the Fort Hood shootings

Pohl was assigned to serve as the investigating officer for the

article 32 hearing An Article 32 hearing is a proceeding under the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice, similar to that of a preliminary hearing in civilian law. Its name is derived from UCMJ section VII ("Trial Procedure") Articl32(10 U.S.C. § 832), ...

for

Nidal Hasan Nidal (in Arabic نضال meaning warrior in Arabic) is a given name in Arabic. It may refer to: * Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar (born 1956), Syrian politician and government minister * Abou Nidal, Côte d'Ivoirian singer * Umm Nidal (1948–2013), Pales ...

, the perpetrator of the

2009 Fort Hood shooting On November 5, 2009, a mass shooting took place at Fort Hood, near Killeen, Texas. Nidal Hasan, a U.S. Army major and psychiatrist, fatally shot 13 people and injured more than 30 others. It was the deadliest mass shooting on an American m ...

Assigned to Brigadier General Sinclair Court-Martial

Pohl was assigned to preside over the court martial of

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Jeffrey A. Sinclair, a former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, charged with

sodomy Sodomy () or buggery (British English) is generally anal or oral sex between people, or sexual activity between a person and a non-human animal ( bestiality), but it may also mean any non- procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term ''sod ...

. Following acceptance of Sinclair's guilty pleas on some (but not all) of the charges he faced (including adultery with three different women, violating a general order by possessing pornography in the Afghan theater of operations, and conduct unbecoming an officer), Pohl sentenced Sinclair to a reprimand and forfeiture of five thousand dollars a month for four months ($20,000 total).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pohl, James L. Guantanamo Military Commission members Living people American military lawyers United States Army colonels Pepperdine University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American lawyers