Navy Lt. Cmdr. James Dickerson Acquitted in Court Martial Case Over Tik Tok Video

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Navy Lt. Cmdr. James Dickerson, posted a video on Tik Tok with music in the background singing, "I don't give a shi- anymore" and his commanders got wind of it. He was then releived of duty and court martialed per a news report from the MilitaryTimes.com

The 54-year-old prior-enlisted supply officer would later say he only expected family and friends to see the joke video he made on July 14, 2023.

Command saw the post and in June of 2024, Dickerson was court-martialed for the video, charged with a violation of Article 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.

Dickerson’s charge sheet alleged that he “wrongfully and dishonorably” posted the video “showing himself acting in a contemptuous manner towards the Navy while in uniform.”

And while Dickerson was found not guilty at a judge-alone trial on June 13, the saga of the officer and his TikTok content has outside attorneys wondering why he was ever charged in the first place for such an infraction per Navy Times reporting.

The case demonstrates the inconsistent and murky regulations involved in court-martialing service members for social media posts, and how no single charge in the UCMJ governs such infractions, leaving commanders across the services to apply the law as they and their legal staffs see fit.

Questions also remain about command decisions before the trial began according to sources close to the proceedings.

For reasons the Navy has not explained, the unit’s commander, Capt. Charles Eckhart, withdrew the charge in late 2023 and then re-referred it the same day, stripping Dickerson of his right to choose a trial by jury in the process.

Some former military officers believe that this trial was a mistake and a misuse of proceedings. It's suggested that while Dickerson filming the video in his officer’s uniform was “stupid,” he could have been administratively disciplined or read the riot act by his command instead and that the punishment was extreme.

Social media posts have landed troops in hot water in recent years, or brought attention to issues that service members felt were not being addressed by their commands, such cases have generally focused on posts that contained racist, extremist or violent content.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps all said the services do not track social media-related courts-martial, and outside legal experts note that such crimes can be charged under a variety of UCMJ articles.

Two days after the video, the unit’s commanding officer, Eckhart, issued a social media policy for his unit, reminding sailors of best social media practices and how they are always representing the Navy.

“The internet doesn’t forget and online habits leave digital footprints,” Eckhart wrote. “It is imperative that we set ourselves up for success through deliberate, valuable and healthy social media use.”

He also reminded his sailors that such behavior is subject to the UCMJ.

A few weeks after he posted the video, Dickerson emailed his superiors on Aug. 2, 2023, to explain himself and apologize, court records show.

wrote how he was “blessed to get a second chance at service,” and how he regretted letting sailors down “with this stupid mistake.”

“I understand the tough position this places you, the XO and CO in,” Dickerson added. “I hope that you weigh this isolated misstep against whatever value that you place on my past service.”

An Aug. 22, 2023, memo included in court records summarized the executive officer’s inquiry into Dickerson’s video.

Dickerson enlisted in the Navy in 1988, the memo states, and had been an officer for more than 13 years, serving as the second-in-command of Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from February 2022 to February 2023.

The Florida native’s enlisted service ended in 1996, and he came back into the fleet as an officer in 2009, according to service records.

His awards and decorations include surface warfare supply corps officer, SSBN deterrent patrol insignia and enlisted submarine warfare specialist.

While some guidance exists, the military needs to do some “soul-searching” about how they handle social media in general according to those close to the case.

The commander could have avoided all the stink of a trial and an acquittal had he just followed a routine displinary routine.