Christian L. Reismeier

Christian Reismeier is “Of Counsel” with JAG Defense.  In 2015, Mr. Reismeier retired at the rank of Rear Admiral (Lower Half) from the United States Navy following 31 years of exemplary service. Retiring as the founding member and architect of the Navy’s Military Justice Litigation Career Path, Mr. Reismeier capped his career as the Chief Judge, Department of the Navy, where he supervised the entire Navy-Marine Corps trial and appellate judiciary.  He simultaneously served as the Assistant Judge Advocate General of the Navy, a Flag-level position and the number three leadership position in the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.  His duties included the selection, training, and placement of all Military Justice Litigation Career Path officers (career litigators) in the Navy.  Mr. Reismeier earned a reputation throughout the Department of Defense as a top expert in military criminal law and criminal law policy matters.

Prior to his selection to Flag rank, Mr. Reismeier served for three years as the Chief Judge, Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, deciding some of the most difficult cases in the Navy while supervising every Navy and Marine Corps appellate judge assigned to the Court. In addition to his vast appellate experience, Mr. Reismeier served for three years as the Director of the Navy’s Criminal Law Division, overseeing criminal law policy matters for the service.  His work as the Director included policy advice to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the General Counsel of the Navy, the Chief of Naval Operations, and the Secretary of the Navy.  His repeated work on military commissions caused the General Counsel, Department of Defense, to ask for him by name to work on the Presidentially-designated interagency Detention Policy Task Force.  Mr. Reismeier authored the legislative draft that became the 2009 Military Commissions Act and ultimately served as the Task Force staff as co-executive secretary, where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the interagency Task Force Staff in creating lawful options for the President in detention policy matters.

In addition to his vast military justice experience as an appellate judge, policy advisor and member of the senior leadership of the JAG Corps, Mr. Reismeier served for 4 years as a trial judge in Norfolk and San Diego, two years representing the government on appeals of Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial, four years as the Chief Defense Counsel in Norfolk, Virginia, and four years as a prosecutor, Chief Defense Counsel and Chief Prosecutor in Mayport, Florida, where he ultimately supervised  all prosecutions in a 13-state region with 9 offices across the Southeast.   As one of the most experienced litigators in the Navy, his experience includes national security cases, attempted espionage, murder, arson, maiming, sexual assaults, drug offenses, fraud, conspiracy – nearly every offense within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  He also has vast experience in administrative separations, detachments for cause of senior officers, boards of inquiry, and attorney ethics hearings.  He has been consulted as an expert in military justice matters by the Washington Post, featured on CBS’ 48Hours, and testified before various congressionally-mandated panels reviewing sexual assault policies in the military.

Mr. Reismeier started his Navy career at Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, as an Intelligence Officer Candidate. He then served with an A-6 squadron in Virginia Beach, deploying on the USS FORRESTAL (CV-59), with a second assignment at the Pentagon, providing current intelligence to senior Navy leaders.  He was then selected for the Law Education Program by the Navy and attended Law School on fully-funded Navy orders.

Military & Professional Experience

• Rear Admiral (Retired), U.S. Navy JAG Corps, 1984-2015
• B.A., Pennsylvania State University, 1984
• J.D., George Washington University School of Law, 1992
• LL.M., Trial Advocacy, Temple University, Beasley School of Law 1999

Bar Admissions

• Virginia, 1992
• Third Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
• United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals

Air Force E-7 tested positive on a random urinalysis for marijuana. At his subsequent court-martial, the military lawyers at JAG Defense challenged the laboratory’s testing methods and presented compelling evidence of our client’s exceptional military character. Result: The officer members found our client NOT GUILTY of the charge against him.