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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

David M. Cisek

Counsel of record in 41 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(9 as defense counsel, 32 as trial counsel)
Oct 2016 to Nov 2022

41Cases
9As defense counsel
32As trial counsel
25Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.1

9Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 3)

Pleas When Defending

  • Not Guilty3 (33%)
  • Not Reported6 (67%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone6 (67%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (11%)
  • Officer Panel2 (22%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 3
  • Officer Panel2 of 3

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted7 (78%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (11%)
  • Acquitted1 (11%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel1001
Officer Panel2110

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (8 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 8
  • DD2 of 8
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 8

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 8 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge3 of 8
62%Punitive discharge, enlisted (5 of 8)
88%Confinement (7 of 8 convictions)
9 moMedian confinement
6.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3030
Art. 134 General article2020
Art. 107 False official statements1110
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1010
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1010
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1110
Art. 128 Assault1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.2

32Cases
22Contested
36%Acquitted, contested cases (8 of 22)
18%Partial acquittal, contested cases (4 of 22)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty5 (16%)
  • Not Guilty17 (53%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (3%)
  • Not Reported9 (28%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone15 (47%)
  • Enlisted Panel7 (22%)
  • Officer Panel9 (28%)
  • Not Reported1 (3%)

Contested Panel Cases: 16 of 22

  • Enlisted Panel7 of 22
  • Officer Panel9 of 22

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted20 (62%)
  • Partial Acquittal4 (12%)
  • Acquitted8 (25%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone5023
Enlisted Panel7313
Officer Panel9702
Not Reported1010

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (24 Convictions)

  • BCD7 of 24
  • DD8 of 24
  • No Punitive Discharge9 of 24

No Punitive Discharge

9 of 24 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge9 of 24
62%Punitive discharge, enlisted (15 of 24)
79%Confinement (19 of 24 convictions)
1.0 yrsMedian confinement
35.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances7570
Art. 134 General article6360
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault5542
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child5350
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct5250
Art. 128 Assault4240
Art. 131b Obstructing justice2220
Art. 111 (former: Drunken or reckless driving)1110
Art. 118 Murder1110
Art. 125 Kidnapping1110
Charges not listed in the record8808

Where

  • Whiteman AFB, Missouri 4
  • Maxwell AFB, Alabama 2
  • Yokota AB, Japan 2
  • JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii 2
  • Kunsan AB, South Korea 2
  • FE Warren AFB, Wyoming 2
  • McConnell AFB, Kansas 2
  • JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey 1

More Air Force Lawyers

Know Your Judge

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. The records also write this name as David Michael Cisek; those cases are counted here.

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