CASE OVERBOARD

Sailor’s Conviction Tossed Because Judge Was Actually Unlicensed

The USS Essex sailor was accused of photographing nude shipmates without consent.

The conviction and sentence for a U.S. Navy member accused of photographing nude shipmates without consent was tossed by a military appeal’s court Thursday after it emerged that the judge wasn’t licensed at the time. Aviation Electrician’s Mate First Class Aaren Painter, a USS Essex sailor, was convicted in February—but the judge, Commander Andrea K. Lockhart, had failed to pay her California bar dues, meaning she was suspended between July 2021 and March 2022. The Navy has since “implemented key corrective measures,” a spokesman told The Military Times. Before attending their initial training, all new military judges will be required to provide proof of their licenses and they will be required to keep providing proof annually, the spokesman said. So far it’s the only case that’s has been overturned because of Lockhart’s blunder. A rehearing has been authorized for Painter.