Court of Inquiry (Type Three) - S-1 Procedural Page

Role and responsibility

The convening authority (CA) convenes the Court of Inquiry or Board of Inquiry per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0211.f (Convening Order). The Court or Board members run the proceeding per section 0211.g (Method) with advisors and non-voting members per section 0211.d. Parties to the inquiry exercise rights per Appendix A-2-c (Parties - Definitions and Rights). The legal advisor sits as a non-voting member providing legal guidance. The S-1 officer signs by direction on admin support routing. The S-1 chief coordinates witnesses, evidence, transcription, and member logistics. The Secretary of the Navy or designated authority acts on the proceeding per section 0211.j (Action).

Source documents flow from the underlying major incident (death case, significant loss, command-impacting matter) per JAGMAN section 0231 (Major Incidents and Other Cases Involving Death), the CA convening order per section 0211.f, the parties' designation and rights advisement per Appendix A-2-c, the witness testimony and physical evidence per JAGMAN 0207, the proceeding transcript, the Court or Board findings per the standard report format in section 0208, and the action and review documentation per sections 0211.j-l. Type Three outputs include the certified Court or Board proceeding record, the parties' counsel record, the SecNav or designated action, the major-incident routing per section 0229.a, the legal sufficiency review per section 0211.k, and any subsequent administrative or judicial action.

Per JAGMAN section 0211.a (Overview), Type Three covers Courts of Inquiry and Boards of Inquiry as the highest-level administrative investigations. Per section 0211.b (Court of Inquiry Characteristics), the Court is the most formal proceeding with members, parties, counsel, and a transcript. Per section 0211.c (Board of Inquiry Characteristics), the Board is similar but with reduced formality. Per section 0231, courts of inquiry suit major incidents and significant death cases requiring the highest level of fact-finding.

Trigger events

• Major incident triggers court of inquiry consideration per JAGMAN 0231.
• Death case involving multiple service members or significant operational impact.
• Loss of a ship, aircraft, major equipment, or significant funds requiring formal record.
• Allegation against a senior officer requiring formal proceeding.
• SecNav or higher authority directs a court of inquiry.
• Foreign country incident requiring formal record for diplomatic purposes.
• Significant command climate matter requiring sworn testimony.

Processing workflow

1. Validate the matter against Court of Inquiry criteria. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0211.a-c, the CA confirms the matter rises to Type Three. Section 0231 provides criteria for major incidents and death cases.
2. Issue the convening order. Per JAGMAN section 0211.f (Convening Order), the order designates the Court or Board, the members (with rank and qualification), the advisors and non-voting members per section 0211.d, the parties, the scope, and the time limits.
3. Coordinate advisors and non-voting members. Per JAGMAN section 0211.d (Advisors and Non-Voting Members), the legal advisor and any subject-matter advisors join the proceeding.
4. Apply parties rights. Per Appendix A-2-c (Parties - Definitions and Rights), the parties receive notification of party status, the right to counsel, the right to call witnesses, the right to cross-examine, and the right to submit a statement.
5. Run the proceeding. Per JAGMAN section 0211.g (Method), the proceeding runs as a formal hearing with sworn testimony, evidence presentation, and a transcript.
6. Handle non-party participation. Per JAGMAN section 0211.h (Participation by Non-Parties), non-parties testify under the standard witness rules per JAGMAN 0207 without party rights.
7. Track time limitations. Per JAGMAN section 0211.i (Time Limitations), the proceeding observes the time limits in the convening order. CA approves extensions.
8. Process action. Per JAGMAN section 0211.j (Action), the action authority (often SecNav for major-incident inquiries) acts on the Court or Board findings.
9. Route review. Per JAGMAN section 0211.k (Review) and section 0211.l (Advance Copies of Investigations), the legal review and advance copies route per the section rules.
10. Handle release. Per JAGMAN section 0211.m (Release), release requests follow the Privacy Act and FOIA procedures.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• Convening Authority Legal Records. Holds the certified Court or Board record.
• Court or Board Working File. Holds the proceeding transcript and exhibits.
• SecNav or Designated Action Authority Office. Holds the action record.
• Parties' Counsel File. Holds the counsel record per Appendix A-2-c.

Forms

• Court of Inquiry / Board of Inquiry Convening Order. Per JAGMAN section 0211.f.
• Parties' Rights Advisement. Per Appendix A-2-c.
• Witness Subpoena (when required). Per JAGMAN section 0207 cross-reference.
• Proceeding Transcript. Per JAGMAN section 0211.g.
• Court or Board Report. Per JAGMAN section 0208 format with Type Three-specific elements per 0211.
• Action Memorandum. Per JAGMAN section 0211.j.

Common pitfalls

• Type Three convened for a matter belonging in Type One. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0211.a-c and 0231, the Court of Inquiry is reserved for the highest-tier matters. Convening Type Three on a Type One matter wastes resources and creates unnecessary formality.
• Parties not advised of rights. Per Appendix A-2-c, parties receive a formal advisement covering party status, counsel, witnesses, cross-examination, and statements. A defective advisement invalidates the record.
• Non-voting member sitting as a voting member. Per JAGMAN section 0211.d, advisors and non-voting members do not vote on findings. A miscounted vote invalidates the finding.
• Transcript incomplete. Per JAGMAN section 0211.g, the proceeding generates a transcript. A missed session breaks the record.
• Time limitations exceeded without extension. Per JAGMAN section 0211.i, the convening order time limits apply. Request extensions through the CA.
• Release request handled without Privacy Act review. Per JAGMAN section 0211.m, release runs through the Privacy Act and FOIA per the standard procedures.

Decision points

• Court of Inquiry versus Board of Inquiry. Per JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0211.b versus 0211.c, the Court is the most formal with full party rights and transcript. The Board is similar but with reduced formality. The CA selects per the matter.
• Major-incident routing. Per JAGMAN section 0231, major incidents with significant operational, casualty, or political impact warrant Type Three consideration. The CA coordinates with the GCMCA and higher authority on the routing decision.
• Counsel for parties. Per Appendix A-2-c, parties receive the right to counsel. The CA coordinates counsel availability with the legal community.

Authority

This sub-page sits under JAGINST 5800.7GJAGINST 5800.7G Chapter II section 0211 (Type Three: Courts and Boards of Inquiry) including subsections a (Overview) through m (Release). Section 0231 (Major Incidents and Other Cases Involving Death) sets major-incident criteria. Appendix A-2-c (Parties - Definitions and Rights) sets party rights. JAGMAN section 0207 sets evidence and witness rules. JAGMAN section 0208 sets the report format adapted for Court or Board output. MCO 5800.16MCO 5800.16 Volume 1 and Volume 11 supplement at the Marine Corps level. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R event 0102-GENA-1012.

Related references

• JAGMAN section 0211 and subsections a-m. Authoritative Type Three rules.
• JAGMAN section 0231. Major-incident criteria.
• JAGMAN Appendix A-2-c. Parties - Definitions and Rights.
• JAGMAN sections 0207, 0208. Cross-cutting evidence and report rules.
• MCO 5800.16 Volume 1 and Volume 11. Marine Corps supplement.
• MCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. S-1 investigation responsibilities.
• NAVMC 3500.3E. T-R event 0102-GENA-1012.