March court-martial for Naval Academy midshipman

WASHINGTON (AP) — The court-martial of a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman accused in a sexual assault case is now scheduled to begin in March after a military judge agreed to delay the proceeding, which had been scheduled for February.

A military judge on Monday said the court-martial, the military's equivalent of a trial, for Joshua Tate of Nashville, Tenn., will begin with the selection of the military jury on March 14. Opening statements will begin on March 17.

Tate's lawyers had asked for the start of the trial to be delayed in part because charges against another man involved in the case, Eric Graham of Eight Mile, Ala., were dropped last week. Tate is now the sole remaining defendant facing charges, though prosecutors had initially accused three men in connection with the case.