Evaluating e-justice in military courts: A critical assessment of digital proceedings, accountability, and appellate efficacy

This article critically evaluates the implementation of e-justice within military courts, analyzing how digital proceedings impact institutional accountability and appellate efficacy. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach grounded in the Ukrainian military justice system, this research conducts a targeted secondary analysis of an extensive empirical dataset. The methodological framework triangulates a systematic review of 50 legal and policy instruments, survey responses from 90 active military legal professionals, 20 hours of direct court observations, and 20 semi-structured practitioner interviews. While quantitative findings indicate that digital transition reduces proceeding durations by nearly 30%, the qualitative analysis exposes severe systemic vulnerabilities. Specifically, 60% of legal personnel report critical deficits in specialized digital training, which significantly undermines procedural fairness and data security in military appellate processes. A Pearson’s correlation (r = 0.65, p < 0.01) confirms the dependency of operational success on practitioner preparation. The study concludes that digitizing military justice without addressing foundational training and policy gaps jeopardizes both institutional accountability and defendants' rights. Ultimately, we propose actionable policy reforms to reconcile technological modernization with the stringent demands of military criminal justice.