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Learn Your Lawyer · Air Force · Defense and Trial Counsel

Luke A. Gilhooly

Counsel of record in 35 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(22 as defense counsel, 13 as trial counsel)
May 2017 to Dec 2023

35Cases
22As defense counsel
13As trial counsel
21Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 2.7

22Cases
12Contested
42%Acquitted, contested cases (5 of 12)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (4 of 12)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty7 (32%)
  • Not Guilty10 (45%)
  • Not Reported5 (23%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone14 (64%)
  • Enlisted Panel7 (32%)
  • Officer Panel1 (5%)

Contested Panel Cases: 8 of 12

  • Enlisted Panel7 of 12
  • Officer Panel1 of 12

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted13 (59%)
  • Partial Acquittal4 (18%)
  • Acquitted5 (23%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone4022
Enlisted Panel7223
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (17 Convictions)

  • BCD7 of 17
  • DD3 of 17
  • No Punitive Discharge7 of 17

No Punitive Discharge

7 of 17 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge7 of 17
59%Punitive discharge, enlisted (10 of 17)
88%Confinement (15 of 17 convictions)
11 moMedian confinement
13.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128 Assault4240
Art. 134 General article4240
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation4140
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances3131
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2221
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child2020
Art. 107 False official statements1010
Art. 115 Communicating threats1110
Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images1010
Art. 119b Child endangerment1010
Charges not listed in the record5505

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 5.1

13Cases
9Contested
44%Acquitted, contested cases (4 of 9)
—Partial acquittal, contested cases (none)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Not Guilty6 (46%)
  • Not Reported7 (54%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone7 (54%)
  • Enlisted Panel2 (15%)
  • Officer Panel4 (31%)

Contested Panel Cases: 6 of 9

  • Enlisted Panel2 of 9
  • Officer Panel4 of 9

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted9 (69%)
  • Acquitted4 (31%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone3003
Enlisted Panel2101
Officer Panel4400

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (7 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 7
  • DD2 of 7
  • No Punitive Discharge3 of 7

Officers and Warrant Officers (2 Convictions)

  • No Dismissal2 of 2

No Punitive Discharge

3 of 7 Enlisted Convictions

  • No punitive discharge3 of 7

Member Retained: 2 of 2 Officer Convictions

  • No dismissal2 of 2
57%Punitive discharge, enlisted (4 of 7)
67%Confinement (6 of 9 convictions)
4 moMedian confinement
35.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 134 General article4240
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child3130
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances2120
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault1010
Art. 125 (former: Forcible sodomy and bestiality)1010
Art. 128 Assault1110
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer1110
Art. 85 Desertion1010
Charges not listed in the record4404

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Hurlburt Field, Florida 17
  • Peterson SFB, Colorado 2
  • Moody AFB, Georgia 2
  • Ft Meade, Maryland 2
  • Minot AFB, North Dakota 1
  • Hill AFB, Utah 1
  • Sheppard AFB, Texas 1
  • Goodfellow AFB, Texas 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 Luke Gilhooly, Luke L. Gilhooly, Luke Nmi Gilhooly; those cases are counted here.

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