The American Bar Association Standing Committee (ABA) on Armed Forces Law (SCAFL) recently awarded James Van Drie, Class of 2024, and an Army Active Duty JAG-Select, the 2024 Law Student Writing Contest. The ABA SCAFL’s writing contest is an opportunity for law students to compete and showcase outstanding essays that explore military justice issues and applications. James’s winning essay, “An Accumulation of Factors: How the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) Oversimplifies Consent to the Detriment of Victims, and Where to Go from Here,” focuses on gaps in the UCMJ’s sexual assault liability framework that mischaracterize consent, inhibit prosecutors from reflecting sexual assault victims’ experiences, and lead to improper acquittals.
While completing his undergraduate degree, James participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Wheaton College and received a three-year Educational Delay from the Army to attend law school before serving as an Active-duty Army officer. This fall, James applied and was selected to serve his Active Duty obligation as a Judge Advocate.
GW Law’s National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law Program congratulates James on his outstanding achievement and dedication to important military justice issues and wishes him luck in his future endeavors.