Convening authority

The term Convening Authority is used in the United States military to refer to an individual whose job includes appointing officers to play a role in a Court Martial, or similar military Tribunal or Military Commission. The officers on a Court Martial, Tribunal, or Military Commission, report back to the Convening Authority their recommended verdict. Unlike a civilian trial the Convening Authority's "command perogative" entitles them to amend or overturn the sentence of a court martial.

The individual in over-all charge of the Guantanamo military commissions is called the Convening Authority. The first three incumbents were all, technically, civilians, although the first and third incumbents, John D. Altenburg and Bruce MacDonald, were retired admirals. Susan Crawford, the second Convening Authority, had been a long-term senior civilian lawyer for the Department of Defense, eventually serving as the Inspector General.