The Judge Advocate General's Office, or simply Judge Advocate's Office or the Advocate General's Office, was the division of Starfleet Command that administered legal affairs. It was directed by the Judge Advocate General, who worked with any number of associated court officers, including judge advocates, lawyers and clerks. (TOS: "Court Martial"; SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera") This office was also responsible for issuing the court's findings in Judge Advocate General's Reports. (TNG: "The Pegasus")
Operations[]
During courts martial and similar hearings, the Judge Advocate's Office would typically be represented by an officer of the court acting on behalf of the JAG, or in remote cases, trials were held under the authority of the President of the Court or similar presiding officer, and were represented by a range from flag officers to ranking senior officers. Bench trials included, but was not limited to, a Space Command Representative, Commander Starfleet, a President of the Court, or in high-profile cases, the Judge Advocate General themselves would chair the tribunal. (TOS: "Court Martial", "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II", "The Deadly Years", "Turnabout Intruder"; TNG: "The Measure Of A Man", "The Drumhead"; SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera")
Non-Starfleet personnel, including non-Federation citizens, could lodge formal complaints with the JAG that arose from actions taken by Starfleet personnel. This included challenging the validity of a health and safety inspection. (TNG: "Gambit, Part II")
The JAG's Office also had the authority over some civilian cases, notably those directly connected to cases involving Starfleet officers. (DS9: "Doctor Bashir, I Presume")
History[]
Following Lieutenant Commander Una Chin-Riley's arrest in 2259, she was placed in a jail cell in the Judge Advocate General's Office. Her court martial was later held there, chaired by the Judge Advocate General, Admiral Javas. In Starfleet v. Chin-Riley, Captain Marie Batel represented the prosecution in the case. (SNW: "The Broken Circle", "Ad Astra per Aspera")
Phillipa Louvois was also a member of the Judge Advocate General's Office, for which she presided during the court martial of Jean-Luc Picard following the destruction of the USS Stargazer in 2355.
The Judge Advocate General's Office was responsible for an investigation into a mutiny that occurred aboard the USS Pegasus in 2358. (TNG: "The Pegasus")
Later, in 2365, as a captain, Louvois was the commanding officer of the JAG office of Sector 23 on Starbase 173. One of her first rulings in 2365 was that Lieutenant Commander Data was not the property of Starfleet. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")
After Ensign Harry Kim successfully arguing his case for helping the Kraylor, in 2377, to Captain Kathryn Janeway, Janeway asked him if he'd ever considered "applying to the Advocate General's Office?" Adding, "You'd make a good lawyer." (VOY: "Nightingale")
Facilities[]
Judge Advocate General's Office
The Judge Advocate General's Offices were directly attached to Starfleet Headquarters with their facility located on Point Bonita near Sausalito, overlooking San Francisco Bay. (DS9: "Doctor Bashir, I Presume"; SNW: "Ad Astra per Aspera")
The JAG's Office also has satellite operations at various starbases throughout the Federation, including a posting at Starbase 11 in 2267. (TOS: "Court Martial")
In 2365, the Judge Advocate General's Office chartered the twenty third sector JAG office on Starbase 173. (TNG: "The Measure Of A Man")