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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense Counsel

David H. Brucker

Counsel of record in 15 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(15 as defense counsel, 0 as trial counsel)
Jan 2024 to May 2026

15Cases
15As defense counsel
0As trial counsel
2Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 0.9

15Cases
2Contested
100%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 2)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty13 (87%)
  • Not Guilty2 (13%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement13 (87%)
  • No plea agreement2 (13%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone13 (87%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (13%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 2

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 2
  • Officer Panel0 of 2

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted13 (87%)
  • Acquitted2 (13%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel2002

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (11 Convictions)

  • BCD6 of 11
  • DD1 of 11
  • No Punitive Discharge4 of 11

Officers and Warrant Officers (2 Convictions)

  • No Dismissal2 of 2

No Punitive Discharge

4 of 11 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement4 of 4
  • No plea agreement0 of 4

Member Retained: 2 of 2 Officer Convictions

  • Plea agreement2 of 2
  • No plea agreement0 of 2
64%Punitive discharge, enlisted (7 of 11)
85%Confinement (11 of 13 convictions)
5 moMedian confinement
50.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128b Domestic violence5141
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle2020
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2111
Art. 134 General article2020
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances1010
Art. 118 Murder1010
Art. 128 Assault1010
Art. 131a Subornation of perjury1010
Art. 80 Attempts1010
Art. 86 AWOL1010

Judges, Most Cases Together

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Wainwright 9
  • Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson 4
  • Fort Irwin 1
  • Joint Base Lewis-McChord 1

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Counsel of record means this lawyer is listed as defense counsel or trial counsel in the public record of the case. Most cases list more than one lawyer on each side, and the records do not say who led or who argued, so the numbers describe cases this lawyer was counsel on, not individual wins or losses. Pages cover military counsel only; civilian counsel appear in lists by name. Percentages are shown for every count, however small, so check the number of cases behind each one. The Army records say whether there was a plea agreement, not what it said; Air Force records do not report plea agreements, and many Air Force records from 2016 to 2020 do not list the plea. In the article tables one case counts under each article charged, and Air Force records rarely list the charges in cases that ended in acquittal (those show as Charges not listed in the record). Member Retained means the sentence did not include a punitive discharge; it does not rule out a later administrative separation. Mixed Plea* means the record lists a guilty plea but the case ended in a partial acquittal, so at least one charge was contested (a mixed plea, or a guilty plea to a lesser offense). Contested cases are those with a not guilty or mixed plea, plus any case that ended in an acquittal or partial acquittal even when the record does not list the plea.

Source: public records of trial published by each service under Article 140a, UCMJ, as collected for the Military Trial Results page (data updated October 29, 2026). Counts reflect only the cases in this data and may be incomplete. Names are shown as published in the source records.

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