Which is the second-highest court among the listed federal courts in the military justice system?

• A. US Supreme Court
• B. Service Courts of Criminal Appeals
• C. US District Court
• D. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

Answer: (D)

In the military justice system, appellate review follows a chain: courts-martial take the case, then the appeal goes to the appropriate Service Court of Criminal Appeals for the first level of appellate review, and from there to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which is the top military appellate court. The Supreme Court can review military cases on rare constitutional grounds, but it sits outside the military hierarchy as the ultimate general-federal court, not as part of the military appellate sequence. The U.S. District Court is a general federal trial court, not an appellate court in this structure. Therefore, the second-highest court in the military system, among the listed options, is the Service Courts of Criminal Appeals.