Justices, in Rare Step, Reconsider Military Rape Case

A man convicted of rape while serving as an Air Force officer was granted a rare second chance at potentially getting his appeal heard by the U.S. Supreme Court Aug. 6.

The justices granted Michael Briggs’s request for a rehearing after denying his original petition in June. They vacated a military appeals court decision affirming the conviction and sent the case back for further consideration.

The Supreme Court doesn’t typically second-guess itself after denying certiorari, and it offered no explanation in its order for granting the rehearing. But developments in the interpretation of military law appear critical to its decision. ...