The George Washington University Law School’s faculty now includes the chief judges of the two highest courts in the U.S. military justice system.
Lisa Schenck, associate dean for the National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law program and a distinguished professorial lecturer in law, serves as chief judge of the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review. Gregory E. Maggs is an adjunct professor at GW Law and recently became chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Dean Schenck, a retired Army colonel, joined the law school after serving in the Army for more than 25 years, initially as a signal corps officer and then as a judge, lawyer, and educator in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She was appointed chief judge of the Court of Military Commission Review in February 2022 and reappointed in May 2025. She teaches military justice and is the author of the leading textbook and a co-author of the leading treatise on the subject. Judge Maggs, also a retired Army colonel, joined the full-time GW Law faculty in 1993 and later co-directed the National Security Law LLM program. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in 2018 and assumed the role of chief judge in August 2026. Dean Schenck and Judge Maggs met in the Army in the 1990s and have often worked together since then.
The U.S. Court of Military Commission Review is an appellate court that serves as the primary avenue of appeal for cases arising under the Military Commissions Act. Those cases involve non-U.S. citizens who are not privileged under the Geneva Conventions and who are accused of engaging in or purposefully supporting hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces is a five-judge court with exclusive worldwide appellate jurisdiction over courts-martial convictions under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. It reviews decisions from the Army, Navy-Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard Courts of Criminal Appeals, and its rulings may be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said that the law school is beyond fortunate to have both of them teaching here.
“Having the chief judges of these two courts on the faculty brings exceptional practical and scholarly depth to GW Law’s classrooms,” Dean Matthew said. “Students, faculty, and staff all highly value the direct access they gain to these two extraordinary jurists who shape military justice at the highest levels while also shaping an extraordinary community of scholars at GW Law.”
Both chief judges say that teaching students and introducing them to careers in the military and in the national security field are the most rewarding aspects of their work at GW.
National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law Program
