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    Bowe Bergdahl's desertion conviction is voided by the appearance of bias under Trump

    A U.S. judge says the reversal shows "why individuals aspiring for public office and those achieving that objective" shouldn't call for a specific verdict in criminal cases.
    by Bill Chappell Jul 26, 2023 4 minutes
    U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton vacated Bowe Bergdahl's court-martial conviction that was overseen by former military judge Jeffrey Nance. Bergdahl is seen here in 2017, when his case played out in the Fort Bragg military courthouse in North Carolina.
    Updated July 26, 2023 at 5:14 PM ET

    In 2017, a military judge told attorneys in Bowe Bergdahl's court-martial case that he was impervious to pressure from then-President Donald Trump — but he made a crucial omission: one week earlier, the judge had applied for a new job in the Trump administration.

    That's the conclusion of U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, who on Tuesday vacated the former soldier's court-martial conviction and sentence that were overseen by former military judge Jeffrey Nance.

    "Yesterday was a very good day for the rule of law, and it was a good day for Sergeant Bergdahl," Bergdahl's attorney, Eugene Fidell, told NPR.

    Bergdahl previously and misbehavior before the enemy, charges related to leaving his post in Afghanistan in 2009 and being captured by the Taliban. In 2017, in lieu of a prison sentence — but that punishment is now revoked.

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