Here is a very long answer and story about that question. The US Army has given itself the authority to convict people by military court martial who have never been in the military. They also have the ability to try people for crimes they commit after they retire that have nothing to do with the military. Every year the US Military gains more and more power over civilians. This was a test case. There have been books written about what happened and the legal ramifications. The over one hour part two is the appeal before the military appeal court by the military lawyers. At first this case was overturned but later after the political powers at be got wind of the courts reversal of the conviction they changed their minds and upheld the conviction. This is a landmark case that everybody who is in the US military, retired soldier, or is a contractor for them should know about.