Edmond v. United States

Judges of the Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals, an intermediate military court, were appointed by the Secretary of Transportation and supervised administratively by the Department's General Counsel acting as Judge Advocate General (JAG), with their decisions subject to further review by the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Several service members convicted at court martial and affirmed by this court (defendant's convictions) challenged the judges' appointments as invalid, arguing the judges were principal officers requiring presidential appointment with Senate confirmation.