United States v. Keenan

United States v. Keenan[1] was a court case in the United States where the accused, US Marine PFC Charles W. Keenan, was found guilty of murder after he shot and killed a Vietnamese man[2], under orders from a superior officer. The Court of Military Appeals held that "the justification for acts done pursuant to orders does not exist if the order was of such a nature that a man of ordinary sense and understanding would know it to be illegal."[3]

One source claims that the soldier who gave Keenan the order, US Marine Corporal Stanley Luczko, was acquitted by reason of insanity[3], but another source says that Luczko was convicted of killing another Vietnamese person during the same incident[2].

See also
  • Nuremberg Defense

References
  1. United States v. Keenan, 39 C.M.R. 108, 110, 1969
  2. Solis, Gary D. (2009). "Keenan". In Cassese, Antonio (ed.). The Oxford Companion to International Criminal Justice. Oxford University Press. p. 756-757. ISBN 9780199238316.
  3. Powers, Rod. "What to Know About Obeying an Unlawful Military Order". Retrieved April 6, 2020.


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