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I'm currently in my second year of law school (or I will be in two weeks). I have great grades, a spot as a junior editor on law review, and legal experience. I served as an AmeriCorps member prior to law school, and I continue to volunteer whenever I have time. In short, I feel like I have a decent shot at JAG Corps.

Here's the issue: I was pulled over and cited for drug paraphernalia when I was nineteen. This was almost seven years ago now, but I know they'll be able to find it with very little effort. Does anyone know if this will result in an absolute bar on JAG service, or do I still have a chance?

For what it's worth, drug paraphernalia is a petty misdemeanor in my home state. I was fined something like $120 and didn't even have to show up in court.

If it is not an absolute bar, it is very close to guaranteeing an outright denial

I figured. Thanks.

This question is better for a recruiter than for TLS. Asking gives you the opportunity to express interest, get an accurate answer, and if you think they'll find it anyway, no harm comes from it.

I'm going to make an assumption but I think it could be helpful. You smoked more than just a handful of times and might have tried other drugs. My recruiter encouraged me to lie on my application and was kind of leading me into saying that I was only ever experimenting. Another recruiter who wasn't mine said that outside of marijuana a few times you're pretty much done. But yeah they want you to put whatever drugs you have ever done at any point in your life on the application. I've also heard that generally after your first 4 years there's a lie detector test to get higher security clearance, if you lied on your app you are pretty much booted.

This is all for Navy. I've heard that army is a little more forgiving and am not sure about the marines or air force.

A guy I know was disqualified from AF JAG for saying he had smoked marijuana in the past, even though he had only done it a couple times. He then went to the Navy JAG and they were initially skeptical, but hired him. Good luck, I hope it works out.