Sec. 50a.

(1) It is an affirmative defense in a trial by court-martial that, at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the accused, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of the acts and therefore lacked mental responsibility. Mental disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense.

(2) The accused has the burden, under subsection (1), of proving the defense of lack of mental responsibility by clear and convincing evidence.

(3) Whenever lack of mental responsibility of the accused with respect to an offense is properly at issue, the military judge, or the president of a court-martial without a military judge, shall instruct the members of the court as to the defense of lack of mental responsibility under this section and shall charge them to find the accused 1 of the following:

(a) Guilty.

(b) Not guilty.

(c) Not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility.

(4) Notwithstanding section 52, the accused shall be found not guilty only by reason of lack of mental responsibility if a majority of the members of the court-martial present at the time the vote is taken determine that the defense of lack of mental responsibility had been established or, in the case of a court-martial composed of a military judge only, the military judge determines that the defense of lack of mental responsibility has been established.

History: Add. 2005, Act 186, Imd. Eff. Oct. 27, 2005