Military judges to discuss career paths in ABA Veterans Day program

Four military judges will discuss their paths to the bench, including the stresses of military life and the challenges of transitioning to civilian life, at an American Bar Association program online Wednesday, Nov. 10, via Zoom.

The program, “Judges in the Military: Perspectives on Careers, Family and Life After,” will start at noon. It is part of the ABA’s observance of Veterans Day and is sponsored by the ABA Judicial Division.

The four judges will describe their training, experiences, how they became judges and what their military courts do. The panelists will be:

  • Benes Z. Aldana, former chief trial judge of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was the first Asian Pacific American (Filipino) chief trial judge in U.S. military history.
  • Kirsten Brunson, former circuit judge with the U.S. Army. She was the first Black woman to serve as an Army judge.
  • Judge Michael Lewis of the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. He is a former chairman of the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice.
  • Linda Strite Murnane (moderator), former chief circuit judge for the U.S. Air Force. She is past chair of the ABA Judicial Division.

Registration can be completed at americanbar.org/groups/judicial.