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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Joshua R. Jacobson

Counsel of record in 24 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(14 as defense counsel, 10 as trial counsel)
Aug 2021 to Oct 2025

24Cases
14As defense counsel
10As trial counsel
11Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 4.4

14Cases
8Contested
25%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 8)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty4 (29%)
  • Not Guilty8 (57%)
  • Not Reported2 (14%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone8 (57%)
  • Enlisted Panel5 (36%)
  • Officer Panel1 (7%)

Contested Panel Cases: 6 of 8

  • Enlisted Panel5 of 8
  • Officer Panel1 of 8

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted12 (86%)
  • Acquitted2 (14%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2200
Enlisted Panel5302
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (9 Convictions)

  • BCD4 of 9
  • DD2 of 9
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 9

Officers and Warrant Officers (3 Convictions)

  • Dismissal1 of 3
  • No Dismissal2 of 3

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 9 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge3 of 9

Member Retained: 2 of 3 Officer Convictions

  • No dismissal2 of 3
67%Punitive discharge, enlisted (6 of 9)
75%Confinement (9 of 12 convictions)
5 moMedian confinement
1.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3230
Art. 134 General article3130
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation3230
Art. 107 False official statements2120
Art. 119b Child endangerment1110
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1101
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child1010
Art. 121 Larceny1010
Art. 128 Assault1010
Art. 128b Domestic violence1110
Charges not listed in the record1101

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 1.8

10Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty7 (70%)
  • Not Guilty3 (30%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (70%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (20%)
  • Officer Panel1 (10%)

Contested Panel Cases: 3 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 3
  • Officer Panel1 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted9 (90%)
  • Acquitted1 (10%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Enlisted Panel2101
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (9 Convictions)

  • BCD3 of 9
  • DD2 of 9
  • No Punitive Discharge4 of 9

No Punitive Discharge

4 of 9 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge4 of 9
56%Punitive discharge, enlisted (5 of 9)
89%Confinement (8 of 9 convictions)
2 moMedian confinement
7.4 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances5150
Art. 134 General article3030
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2020
Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct1010
Art. 128 Assault1110
Art. 130 Stalking1110
Art. 86 AWOL1010
Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment1010
Charges not listed in the record1101

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

  • Anne K. Freeby 4
  • Josue Enrique Vazquez 4
  • Andrew W. Rock 3
  • Jesse A. Peterson 3
  • Ayana Imari Anderson 2
  • Cybil T. Rajan 2
  • Edward S. Coleman 2
  • Tyler S. George 2

Where

  • Barksdale AFB, Louisiana 10
  • Shaw AFB, South Carolina 9
  • Ft Meade, Maryland 3
  • JB Andrews, Maryland 1
  • 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 Josh R. Jacobson; those cases are counted here.

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