A dispute over evidence has delayed the start of jury selection in the trial of a San Antonio-based Air Force general charged with raping a female subordinate, only the second court-martial of a general officer in Air Force history. The trial of Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart was scheduled to begin Monday at Fort Sam Houston.
Air Force general accused of rape demands jury trial The hang-up was over a prosecution witness who is expected to take the stand to discuss what Stewart's lead defense attorney, Sherry Bunn, described as evidence 'of a technological nature.' She declined to elaborate. “The defense is deeply troubled by the government’s attempts to preclude equal access to evidence in this case,' Bunn said in a statement to the San Antonio Express-News.
Jury selection in general's trial will bring parade of top commanders to courtroom Jury selection is now expected to start Tuesday. It will be tricky because all of the panelists, as court-martial jurors are called, must be officers senior in rank to Stewart. That means they must be two-star generals with more time at that grade than Stewart has, or they must be three- or four-star commanders. That limits the pool to about 68 generals in the Air Force.
Air Force sacks head of pilot training command due to misconduct Stewart is a former commander of the 19th Air Force, the service's San Antonio-based pilot training arm. He is accused of sexually assaulting a female officer at or near Altus AFB in southwestern Oklahoma in April 2023. He has maintained that it was a consensual affair. Prosecutors say the woman had no choice but to submit to Stewart's advances given his rank and power.
What to know about rape charges against Air Force Maj. Gen. Phillip Stewart Stewart once flew fighter-bombers and high-altitude spy planes, held command positions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and oversaw 32,000 employees as commander of the 19th Air Force. The 19th leads cadet flight orientation at the Air Force Academy and trains both entry-level and advanced fighter pilots, as well as drone pilots, combat systems officers, and air mobility and special operations combat crews.
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Air Force general’s trial: All jurors will have 2 stars or moreMaj. Gen. Phillip Stewart’s rape trial presents a tough problem. There aren’t many generals senior enough to be on the jury.
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