Naval Justice School

The Naval Justice School (NJS) is an educational institution of the United States Navy whose mission is to instruct Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel in the fundamental principles of military justice, civil and administrative law, and procedure. In addition to being licensed attorneys in any state or territory of the U.S., all attorneys in the Judge Advocate General's Corps must undergo training either in this institution, or in the complementary institutions of the United States Army and the United States Air Force, allowing them to act as trial or defense counsel at military courts-martial. The Naval Justice School was founded in 1946 at Port Hueneme, California and moved to Newport, Rhode Island in 1950. It has additional campuses in Norfolk, Virginia and San Diego, California and a branch office in Charlottesville, Virginia. Beginning in 1990, the institution also began instructing U.S. civilians and foreign government officials in human rights law. Notable alumni Ivan Abrams, Deputy County Attorney for Mendocino County, California, and long-time international rule-of-law consultant for USAID Russell A. Anderson, Chief Justice of Minnesota Supreme Court Duane Benton, Judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit A. Jay Cristol, Judge of the United States Court for the Southern District of Florida Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida John M. Dowd, Special Counsel to MLB, Special Counsel to the Special Counsel investigation William Benner Enright, Judge of United States District Court for the Southern District of California James Knoll Gardner Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Robert Gammage, Associate Justice of Texas Supreme Court Gary Hart, U.S. Senator from Colorado Robert Dixon Herman, Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Adam Laxalt, Attorney General of Nevada Steven Paul Logan, Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona James E. McPherson, United States Under Secretary of the Army Matt Michels, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota Kenneth Francis Ripple, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Mark Salter, Associate Justice of South Dakota Supreme Court Matthew T. Schelp, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Peter G. Strasser, U.S.