It is with sadness and regret that we inform our community of the passing of one of our long-term part-time faculty members, Colonel Francis “Fran” Gilligan, U.S. Army Retired, after a brief illness. Colonel Gilligan taught multiple courses at GW Law in the area of Trial Advocacy, over many, many years, and he earned his 35-year teaching award just this past spring.
Rear Admiral Aaron Rugh of the Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Office of Military Commissions (OCP), and Colonel Gilligan’s son-in-law, Brigadier General Paul Bontrager, U.S. Army Retired, provided us with these reflections on Colonel Gilligan’s educational background and distinguished career.
Colonel Gilligan served in the OCP office for almost 18 years. Prior to his arrival in 2006, he served for 15 years as the Senior Legal Advisor to Judge Susan Crawford at the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF) after retiring from the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps with 27 years of service. As a Judge Advocate, Colonel Gilligan served in thirteen different locations, including Germany, Vietnam, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Fort Campbell, and Fort McClellan. In Vietnam, he served in the largest General Courts-Martial jurisdiction; at one point they had 140 general courts-martial pending! Colonel Gilligan also attended George Washington University Law School (where he received his Master of Laws [LLM] and Doctor of Juridical Science [SJD] degrees), the Command and General Staff College, and the War College. He has been a trial counsel, defense counsel, appellate counsel, staff judge advocate, military judge, instructor, academic director, chair of the Joint Service Committee on Military Justice, and the Army’s Chief Trial Judge.
Colonel Gilligan was widely known throughout the Department of Defense as a military justice expert and a prolific author, having written 10 books, over 40 articles, and numerous Army publications on criminal law, evidence, and related topics. Colonel Gilligan was responsible for getting the Manual for Courts-Martial published in paperback, saving the Government $5.3 million per year and endearing himself to military counsel everywhere. It was also his initiative to make polygraphs inadmissible in Courts-Martial, a rule which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 1998. He earned three Legion of Merit Awards, two Bronze Star medals, and numerous other awards.
Colonel Gilligan had been teaching law students, lawyers, and judges continuously since 1970. He taught at the Army JAG School, the Army War College, the Universities of Maryland and Virginia, Catholic University Law School, and as an adjunct member of the faculty at the George Washington University Law School for the past 35 years. At the May 2002 and 2005 GW Law Commencement ceremonies, Colonel Gilligan was honored for excellence in teaching.
“Fran and I had taught together for more than 30 years. He was a great colleague, friend, and teacher. I will grieve his loss.” - Steve Saltzburg, Wallace and Beverley Woodbury University Professor of Law
“Fran was one of the most effective, gracious, and humble members of the faculty. He was the classic gentleman and military servant. His passing is a great loss to the Law School… and, Fran walked faster than any 20-year old!” - Alfreda Robinson, Associate Dean for Trial Advocacy
Colonel Gilligan will be best remembered for his kindness, sense of humor, willingness to help others, and dedication to justice. He served as an example of service and integrity to his family and colleagues throughout his career.
Colonel Gilligan will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The family requests that memorial gifts be made to the George Washington University Law School as a final acknowledgement of Colonel Gilligan’s lifelong commitment both to service and to education.
Donate to GW Law in memory of Fran Gilligan
Colonel Francis A. Gilligan
(U.S. Army, Retired)
October 16, 1939 – July 6, 2024