An Article 32 hearing for Army Pfc. Bradley Manning at Fort Meade, Md., will determine whether he will be court-martialed for allegedly leaking classified material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.
The hearing is open to the public, but seating is limited. No civilian cameras or recording equipment are allowed.
Article 32 hearings resemble civilian preliminary hearings, in which a judge decides whether prosecutors have enough evidence to bring a suspect to trial.
The presiding official in the military version is called an investigating officer. After the hearing, the investigating officer will make a recommendation to the commander of the Military District of Washington on how to proceed. Possible outcomes include a general court-martial, administrative punishment or dismissal of some or all of the charges.
Manning’s defense is led by civilian attorney David Coombs.