> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Are Air Force Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-by-month-2016-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:31:23.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T06:56:59.000Z - Description: Air Force trial counts differ by month, but not by a large amount. Across 10 full years from 2016–2025, October had the most trials (280, an average of 28.0 per year) and February had the fewest (188, an average of 18.8 per year). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › Air Force by month **Short answer:** Air Force trial counts differ by month, but not by a large amount. Across 10 full years from 2016–2025, October had the most trials (280, an average of 28.0 per year) and February had the fewest (188, an average of 18.8 per year). The contested share and the median confinement were about the same in every quarter of the year. Based on 2795 cases · 2016–2025 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## October Had the Most Trials, February the Fewest The Air Force records hold 2795 courts-martial from January 2016 to December 2025\. Counted by the calendar month of the trial, October had the most, with 280 trials. That is an average of 28.0 trials per year. February had the fewest, with 188 trials, an average of 18.8 per year. The records count trials by trial date only, so they do not show how many trial days each month had. The average per year in the table is each month's total spread over the 10 full years in the data. | Month | Trials | Average per year | | --------- | ------ | ---------------- | | January | 208 | 20.8 | | February | 188 | 18.8 | | March | 269 | 26.9 | | April | 250 | 25.0 | | May | 263 | 26.3 | | June | 277 | 27.7 | | July | 201 | 20.1 | | August | 213 | 21.3 | | September | 234 | 23.4 | | October | 280 | 28.0 | | November | 200 | 20.0 | | December | 212 | 21.2 | ## Spring and Early Summer Months Were Busier March through June each had 250 or more trials. June had 277 (27.7 per year), March had 269 (26.9 per year), May had 263 (26.3 per year), and April had 250 (25.0 per year). July had 201 trials (20.1 per year), lower than June. November had 200 trials (20.0 per year), lower than October. January had 208, August had 213, and December had 212\. September had 234. ## April Through June Was the Busiest Quarter Grouped by quarter, April–June had the most trials, with 790\. October–December had 692, January–March had 665, and July–September had the fewest, with 648. These quarter totals add up all 10 years. A single year can differ from this pattern. | Quarter | Trials | Contested share | Median confinement | | ---------------- | ------ | --------------- | ------------------ | | January–March | 665 | 50% | 5 months | | April–June | 790 | 46% | 5 months | | July–September | 648 | 47% | 4 months | | October–December | 692 | 49% | 4 months | ## Contested Cases Were About the Same Share in Each Quarter A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, with a not-guilty plea or a mixed plea. The contested share was 50% for trials in January–March, 46% in April–June, 47% in July–September, and 49% in October–December. Across all 2795 cases, 48% were contested. These shares use only cases with a plea recorded. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the recorded pleas from those years include few guilty pleas. ## Median Confinement by Quarter The median confinement was 5 months for trials in January–March and April–June. It was 4 months for trials in July–September and October–December. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Air Force records never report plea agreements, so the records cannot show whether any of these sentences were later limited by one. ## Full Acquittals in Contested Air Force Cases 324 of 647 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, meaning the accused was acquitted of all charges. That is 50%. Air Force records rarely list the charges in full acquittals. This post does not break down acquittals by month or by offense. ## Yearly Totals The most trials in a single year were in 2017, with 374, followed by 368 in 2018 and 346 in 2019\. 2016 had 249 trials. From 2020 on, the yearly count was lower: 257 in 2020, 267 in 2021, 266 in 2022, 225 in both 2023 and 2024, and 218 in 2025. A change in the yearly total also changes the monthly totals. The month table counts all 10 years together. ## Rule Changes During These Years The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. Cases with offenses from before 2019 kept the old rules. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both changes turn on the offense date. The records give only trial dates. Trials from 2019 on can include cases with older offenses tried under the old rules, and trials from 2024 on include cases under both old and new rules for covered offenses and sentencing. ## What Month Counts Cannot Show The month here is the month of trial, not the month of the offense. The records do not show when the conduct happened, when charges were preferred, or how long each case took to reach trial. They cannot show why some months had more trials than others. The records also do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial, such as nonjudicial punishment. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Air Force courts-martial with trial dates in 2016–2025 (2795 cases). Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com. ## Related Analysis - [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Are Army Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-by-month-2021-2025/) - [Are Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-by-month-2017-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.