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Learn Your Lawyer · Army · Defense and Trial Counsel

Shelby L. Deckert

Counsel of record in 31 courts-martial in the Military Trial Results data
(15 as defense counsel, 16 as trial counsel)
Apr 2021 to Apr 2026

31Cases
15As defense counsel
16As trial counsel
13Contested (not guilty or mixed plea)

As Defense Counsel (Defending)

Average Contests Per Year: 7.3

15Cases
10Contested
20%Acquitted, contested cases (2 of 10)
60%Partial acquittal, contested cases (6 of 10)

Pleas When Defending

  • Guilty5 (33%)
  • Not Guilty8 (53%)
  • Mixed Plea1 (7%)
  • Mixed Plea*1 (7%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement5 (33%)
  • No plea agreement8 (53%)
  • Not reported2 (13%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone13 (87%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (7%)
  • Officer Panel1 (7%)

Contested Panel Cases: 2 of 10

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 10
  • Officer Panel1 of 10

Findings When Defending, All Cases

  • Convicted7 (47%)
  • Partial Acquittal6 (40%)
  • Acquitted2 (13%)

Contested Findings (Defending)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone8152
Enlisted Panel1010
Officer Panel1100

Sentences When Defending

Enlisted (9 Convictions)

  • BCD2 of 9
  • DD1 of 9
  • No Punitive Discharge6 of 9

Officers and Warrant Officers (4 Convictions)

  • Dismissal1 of 4
  • No Dismissal3 of 4

No Punitive Discharge

6 of 9 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement4 of 6
  • No plea agreement1 of 6
  • Not reported1 of 6

Member Retained: 3 of 4 Officer Convictions

  • Plea agreement1 of 3
  • No plea agreement2 of 3
33%Punitive discharge, enlisted (3 of 9)
54%Confinement (7 of 13 convictions)
2 moMedian confinement
3.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Defending

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault6634
Art. 113 Drunken or reckless operation of vehicle4240
Art. 128 Assault4432
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation4432
Art. 134 General article3212
Art. 121 Larceny2020
Art. 128b Domestic violence2121
Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer2211
Art. 93 Cruelty and maltreatment2202
Art. 105 Forgery1010

As Trial Counsel (Prosecuting)

Average Contests Per Year: 0.9

16Cases
3Contested
33%Acquitted, contested cases (1 of 3)
33%Partial acquittal, contested cases (1 of 3)

Pleas When Prosecuting

  • Guilty13 (81%)
  • Not Guilty3 (19%)

Plea Agreements

  • Plea agreement14 (88%)
  • No plea agreement2 (12%)

Who Decided the Case

  • Judge Alone15 (94%)
  • Enlisted Panel1 (6%)

Contested Panel Cases: 1 of 3

  • Enlisted Panel1 of 3
  • Officer Panel0 of 3

Findings When Prosecuting, All Cases

  • Convicted14 (88%)
  • Partial Acquittal1 (6%)
  • Acquitted1 (6%)

Contested Findings (Prosecuting)

Decided ByCasesConvictedPartialAcquitted
Judge Alone2101
Enlisted Panel1010

Sentences When Prosecuting

Enlisted (14 Convictions)

  • BCD7 of 14
  • DD2 of 14
  • No Punitive Discharge5 of 14

Officers and Warrant Officers (1 Conviction)

  • Dismissal1 of 1

No Punitive Discharge

5 of 14 Enlisted Convictions

  • Plea agreement5 of 5
  • No plea agreement0 of 5

Member Retained: 0 of 1 Officer Conviction

  • No dismissal0 of 1
64%Punitive discharge, enlisted (9 of 14)
93%Confinement (14 of 15 convictions)
7 moMedian confinement
15.0 yrsLongest confinement

UCMJ Articles When Prosecuting

ArticleCasesContestedConvictedAcquitted
Art. 128 Assault5241
Art. 134 General article4140
Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer4140
Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child3030
Art. 128b Domestic violence3121
Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation3030
Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault2121
Art. 107 False official statements1101
Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction1010
Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances1010

Opposing Counsel, Most Cases

Where

  • Camp Humphreys 15
  • Fort Polk 8
  • Fort Campbell 7
  • Fort Rucker 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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