Civil Law and Litigation (JAC) Directorate Message
Creation of The Judge Advocate General’s Department
The National Security Act of 1947 created the Department of the Air Force. A year to the day later, on 26 July 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which mandated the desegregation of the U.S. military. Six months after that, on 25 January 1949, General Hoyt Vandenberg established the The Judge Advocate General’s Department—what is now The Judge Advocate General’s Corps. While these events might not appear to have a clear relationship, they ultimately illustrate the interdependence between the JAG Corps, our client, and the legal environment in which we practice. The creation of an independent Air Force addressed the looming existential threat of the Soviet Union’s rapidly expanding hegemony. The President’s desegregation order was a bold and impactful step on the long and painful path to address racial inequality. And finally, the stand up of The Judge Advocate General’s Department demonstrated our Air Force pioneers’ understanding of the indispensable contributions that legal professionals would make to tackle challenging legal issues like desegregation while demonstrating the Air Force’s commitment to the rule of law.
For the past 75 years, Civil Law practitioners have been at the forefront of advising decision makers at every echelon, translating policy decisions into actions that support the Department of the Air Force (DAF) mission. We do this through engagement across all civil law practice areas, including acquisition, legal assistance, claims, personnel law, and ethics, rigorously defending DAF interests.
For the past 75 years, Civil Law practitioners have been at the forefront of advising decision makers at every echelon, translating policy decisions into actions that support the Department of the Air Force (DAF) mission.
Realignment
Looking back to our 50th Anniversary in 1999, we have evolved significantly to meet the needs of our clients and customers. We are now more closely integrated across the practice domain to tailor our legal advice to surmount complex problems and future threats. Previously, the directorate only had four divisions: Community Legal Services (JACA), Claims and Tort Litigation (JACC), General Litigation (JACL), and Environmental Law and Litigation (JACE). Acquisition and Fiscal Law had its own directorate (JAQ). Following realignment in 2020, JAC reorganized to encompass all areas of civil law practice, reflected in our five current divisions:
- Acquisition, Fiscal Law, and Litigation (JACQ),
- Civil Law and Policy (JACP),
- Legal Assistance Policy (JACA),
- Personnel and Information Law (JACL),
- and Medical, Tort and Personal Property (JACC).
These divisions carry out JAC’s primary mission functions—field support, litigation, and policy.
Deployments, Disaster Recovery Efforts, and Legal Assistance
Our field support supplies the legal boots on the ground to operate and deliver expert advice to our customers and commanders. We have been involved in providing counsel to judge advocates and paralegals deployed in support of operations worldwide, including Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, Operation RESOLUTE SUPPORT, and Operation ALLIES WELCOME. Our Claims Service Center assisted in recovery efforts for major domestic natural disasters, including the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina, Michael, Harvey, and Irma.
We have also equipped base legal offices with the tools and training to provide advice to service members and their families across the many facets of legal assistance—covering topics as varied as special education, wills, and consumer affairs, to name a few. JAC’s field support offices provide enterprise legal support, ensuring the field has easy access to expertise in complex areas of the law.
Civil Litigation
JAC is pivotal in defending DAF interests in civil litigation across the spectrum of legal operations through JACQ, JACL, and JACC. We partnered with the Department of Justice to protect key Air Force policy in cases arising out of the DoD’s response to COVID-19. We have ensured fair and equitable outcomes for the DAF in the areas of employment law and claims. We have advocated on behalf of the DAF before the Government Accountability Office, the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, and the Court of Federal Claims, protecting contracts worth billions of dollars and enabling mission success for the requirement owners. Our litigators are supported by a diligent Litigation Support Center team that ensures compliance with vast and complex discovery obligations in the modern era. Our litigators are at the forefront of novel legal questions facing both the DAF and the DoD and have shaped legal discourse for years to come.
Legal Advice
JAC also advises the DAF on key policy decisions and implementation. We engaged with other services and agencies in the federal government in crafting new DoD policy including response to potential extremist threats, evolving dress and appearance and physical fitness standards, and force healthcare and readiness standards. We provided expert legal advice in shaping the policies and directives of our newest branch, the U.S. Space Force. We have championed legal innovations to better support military members and their spouses when they PCS, enabling Congress to improve the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect spousal license recognition. Across the DAF, we have shaped policies that affect the day-to-day life of every servicemember, all while ensuring individual servicemembers’ legal rights are honored and protected.
Ready to meet the Challenges of the Future
Just as The Judge Advocate General’s Department was established in 1949 to address the legal challenges of the day, JAC has evolved to provide a full spectrum of legal services in our key mission areas: field support, litigation, and policy. We are committed to building the highest level of professionalism in all our practice areas—ensuring the JAG Corps is ready to meet the challenges of the future.
About the Authors
Mr. Robert J. Preston II, USAF
(B.A., University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; J.D., Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; LL.M., The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.; Master of Security Studies, Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama) is the Director, Civil Law and Litigation Directorate, Office of The Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C.
Chief Master Sergeant Carrie M. Todd, USAF
(A.A.S., Paralegal Studies, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex, Alabama; A.A.S., Aviation Maintenance Technology, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex, Alabama; A.A.S., Professional Manager Certification, Community College of the Air Force, Maxwell Air Force Base Gunter Annex, Alabama; B.S., American Military University, Charles Town, West Virginia) is the Senior Enlisted Leader, Civil Law and Litigation Directorate, Office of The Judge Advocate General, Washington, D.C.
Edited by: Major Allison K.W. Johnson (Editor-in-Chief), Major Victoria H. Clarke and Major Andrew H. Woodbury
Layout by: Thomasa Huffstutler