April 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 22 Cases
The Air Force tried 22 courts-martial in April 2023. Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (36%), compared with 56% for the Air Force across 2023.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Air Force tried 22 courts-martial in April 2023. Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (36%), compared with 56% for the Air Force across 2023. Sexual assault under Article 120 was charged in 29% of cases with a charge list, compared with 16% for the year.
Sexual Assault Was Charged More Often Than in 2023 Overall
Charges are listed for 17 of the 22 cases, and an article counts once per case. Article 120, rape and sexual assault, appeared in 5 of them. That is 29% of cases, compared with 16% for the Air Force in 2023.
Article 134, the general article, appeared in 4 cases (24%), higher than the annual 19%. Article 112a, the drug article, also appeared in 4 cases (24%), lower than the annual 28%. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 3 cases (18%), compared with 12% for the year. Article 92 appeared in 3 cases (18%), the same as the annual 18%.
Domestic violence under Article 128b appeared in 2 cases (12%), compared with 14% for the year. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 1 case. Article 131g (wrongful interference with an adverse administrative proceeding) also appeared in 1 case, 6% of the month compared with 1% for the year. Air Force records rarely list charges when a case ends in a full acquittal. These shares therefore mostly reflect cases with a conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 29% | 16% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 24% | 19% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 24% | 28% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 18% | 12% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 18% | 18% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 12% | 14% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 1 | 6% | 5% |
| Art. 131g Wrongful interference with adverse administrative proceeding | 1 | 6% | 1% |
Half of the Accused Pleaded Guilty
A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In April 2023, 11 accused pleaded guilty and 11 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 50%, compared with 53% for the year. Cases this month were contested slightly less often than across the Air Force.
Verdicts in the 11 Contested Cases
Full acquittals came in 4 of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, or 36%. That is lower than the 56% across the Air Force in 2023.
Another 5 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal. In a partial acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Air Force results give a single verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears in the data only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Who Decided Guilt?
The accused usually decides whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 13 cases, enlisted panels 6, and officer panels 3. Members heard 41% of the cases, about the same as the 40% for the year.
Members heard 9 of the 11 contested cases (82%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The split between judges and members therefore mostly follows how many cases were contested.
Confinement After Conviction
There were 18 convictions, and 78% included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, slightly lower than the 5 months for the year. A quarter of the terms were 1.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences from trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
Confinement differed by court level. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At the 12 general courts-martial, 8 of 9 convictions included confinement, with a median of 1.2 years. At the 10 special courts-martial, 6 of 9 did, with a median of 2 months.
Punitive Discharges Were Less Common
Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 7 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (41%). The rate for the Air Force in 2023 was 58%. Of those 7 discharges, 5 were dishonorable.
The month also had 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Compared With April 2022
April 2022 had 30 cases, and April 2023 had 22. The contested share was 43% in April 2022 and 50% in April 2023. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 2 of 13 to 4 of 11. The median confinement was 4 months in both months.
Convictions with confinement went from 93% to 78%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 58% to 41%. The general court-martial share went from 67% to 55%. A few cases can change monthly figures by a large amount, so these comparisons show direction rather than precise change.
| April 2022 | April 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 30 | 22 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 43% | 50% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 13 | 4 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 93% | 78% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 58% | 41% |
| General courts-martial | 67% | 55% |
Rank and Location
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 59% of the accused, NCOs 32%, and officers 9%. The junior enlisted share for the year was 62%. General courts-martial accounted for 55% of cases, compared with 59% for the year.
No base tried more than 2 cases. Incirlik AB, Turkey, Hurlburt Field, Florida, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, Scott AFB, Illinois, and JBSA - Lackland, Texas, had 2 each. Together they account for 45% of the month's cases.
Outside the Records
The trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and do not report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in April 2023 (22 cases), compared with the whole year.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- March 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 29 Cases (previous / next)
- May 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 21 Cases (previous / next)
- How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial (the whole year)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.