Ralph H. Kohlmann is an American lawyer and officer in the United States Marine Corps.[1][2]
Contents |
| date | institution |
|---|---|
| 1980 | Bachelor of Science, United States Naval Academy |
| 1987 | Juris Doctor, The Delaware Law School, Widener University |
| 1994 | Master of Law (Military Law), The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army |
| 2002 | Master of Arts (National Security and Strategic Studies), United States Naval War College |
For his first seven years as an officer Kohlmann served as a combat engineer.[2] He switched to the Judge Advocate General Corps in 1987.
On December 18, 2005 Kohlmann was announced as a Presiding Officer for the Guantanamo Military Commissions.[3]
On Friday January 6, 2006 the Department of Defense officially appointed Kohlmann to preside over Binyam Mohammed's military commission.[4] In its ruling in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld the United States Supreme Court ruled that President George W. Bush lacked the constitutional authority to create military commissions.
The Supreme Court had ruled that the United States Congress did have the constitutional authority create military commissions, and Congress subsequently passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006 a few months later, re-instituting military commissions very similar to the earlier Presidentially authorized commissions.
On December 13, 2007 the New York Times reported that Kohlmann was appointed to serve as a Chief judge by the Office of Military Commissions.[1]
On May 29, 2008 an e-mail from Kohlmann announced that a new officer was appointed to replace Peter Brownback.[5][6] The record of trial in the Khadr case contains Judge Kohlmann's explanation that Judge Brownback's replacement was driven by Brownback's impending retirement. The record of trial also reflects that Kohlmann and Brownback discussed the replacement and timed the event to facilitate a smooth transition to a new judge.
In September 2008, he presided as judge at the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.[7]
In November 2008, Department of Defence officials announced that Kohlmann was relinquishing his duties as the Military Judge in the military commissions of the 9-11 hijackers.[8][9] Due to his impending retirement, Kohlmann detailed Colonel Stephen Henley, U.S. Army, to replace him as the Military Judge in the 9-11 cases. Kohlmann continued to serve as the Chief Judge of the Military Commissions until December 2008. He was succeeded in that position by Colonel James Pohl, U.S. Army. Kohlmann accepted a position as a civilian attorney in the Department of the Navy Office of General Counsel in January 2009.
It drew little notice at the time, but the paper has gained a second life because of its author’s big promotion: Col. Ralph H. Kohlmann of the Marines is now the chief judge of the military commissions at the naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba."