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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Eli M. Creighton

Counsel of record in 22 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(16 as defense counsel, 6 as trial counsel)
Dec 2020 to Aug 2024

22Cases
16As defense counsel
6As trial counsel
9Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 3.3

16Cases
6Contested
17%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 6)
50%Partial acquittal, contested cases (3 of 6)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty10 (62%)
  • Not Guilty6 (38%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement8 (50%)
  • No plea agreement6 (38%)
  • Not reported2 (12%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone13 (81%)
  • Enlisted Panel3 (19%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 6

  • Enlisted Panel3 of 6
  • Officer Panel0 of 6

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted11 (69%)
  • Partial Acquittal3 (19%)
  • Acquitted1 (6%)
  • No Result Posted1 (6%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3111
Enlisted Panel3120

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (14 Convictions)

  • BCD7 of 14
  • DD5 of 14
  • No Punitive Discharge2 of 14

No Punitive Discharge

2 of 14 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement0 of 2
  • No plea agreement2 of 2
86%Punitive discharge, enlisted (12 of 14)
86%Confinement (12 of 14 convictions)
1.4 yrsMedian confinement
21.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article5141
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child4240
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault3323
Art. 128 Assault3331
Art. 128b Domestic violence2121
Art. 80 Attempts2111
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation2111
Art. 115 Communicating threats1101
Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images1010
Art. 131b Obstructing justice1110
Charges not listed in the record1000

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.6

6Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
67%Partial acquittal, contested cases (2 of 3)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty3 (50%)
  • Not Guilty1 (17%)
  • Mixed Plea*2 (33%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement5 (83%)
  • No plea agreement1 (17%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone6 (100%)

Contested Panel Cases: 0 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel0 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted3 (50%)
  • Partial Acquittal2 (33%)
  • Acquitted1 (17%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3021

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (4 Convictions)

  • No Punitive Discharge4 of 4

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • No Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

4 of 4 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement4 of 4
  • No plea agreement0 of 4

Member Retained: 1 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • Plea agreement1 of 1
  • No plea agreement0 of 1
0%Punitive discharge, enlisted (0 of 4)
100%Confinement (5 of 5 convictions)
3 moMedian confinement
5 moLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation4322
Art. 134 General article3221
Art. 93a Prohibited activities with recruit or trainee3221
Art. 131b Obstructing justice2111
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer2211
Art. 131 Perjury1101
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer1010
Art. 81 Conspiracy1010
Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Fort Carson 15
  • Fort Knox 6
  • Fort Leonard Wood 1

More Army 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.

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