> ## 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. # May 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 21 Cases - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-may-2023/ - Published: 2026-10-28T08:13:09.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:20:06.000Z - Description: The Air Force tried 21 courts-martial in May 2023, and 7 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (70%), compared with 56% for the Air Force in all of 2023. Every conviction that month included confinement. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Air Force [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › May 2023 **Short answer:** The Air Force tried 21 courts-martial in May 2023, and 7 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (70%), compared with 56% for the Air Force in all of 2023\. Every conviction that month included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, slightly lower than the 5 months for the year. Based on 21 cases · May 2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Most Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal In a contested case, the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict this month, 7 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. That rate of 70% is higher than the 56% across the Air Force in 2023. Only 1 contested case ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it. ## Slightly Fewer Contested Cases There were 11 guilty pleas and 10 contested cases. The contested share of 48% was lower than the 53% for the Air Force that year. The acquittal rate above counts only contested cases. A guilty plea ends in a conviction, so it is left out of that rate. ## Confinement in Every Sentence There were 14 convictions on at least one charge, and all 14 sentences included confinement (100%). The median confinement was 4 months, shorter than the 5 months across the service. A quarter of terms were 1.1 years or longer. Sentences here are as adjudged at trial for all charges together. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can change them later. ## General and Special Courts-Martial General courts-martial heard 11 of the 21 cases (52%), compared with 59% for the year, and special courts-martial heard 10\. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, while a special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.1 years, and 55% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 45 days, and 40% were contested. ## Assault, Orders, and Child Offenses Only 13 of the 21 records list charges, so these shares are based on few cases. Each article counts once per case. Assault under Article 128 and Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, each appeared in 4 cases (31%). For the year, the shares were 12% and 18%. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 3 cases (23%), compared with 7% across the service. Drug charges under Article 112a also appeared in 3 (23%), lower than the annual 28%. Article 134 appeared in 2. Single cases involved Article 107 (false official statements), Article 86 (AWOL), and Article 123a (making, drawing, or uttering a check without sufficient funds). Air Force records rarely list charges after a full acquittal. This month had 7 full acquittals, so the charge list leaves out many cases. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2023 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 31% | 18% | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 4 | 31% | 12% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 23% | 28% | | [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 23% | 7% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 2 | 15% | 19% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 1 | 8% | 5% | | Art. 123a Making, drawing, or uttering check without sufficient funds | 1 | 8% | 1% | | [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL | 1 | 8% | 9% | ## Punitive Discharges Were Slightly More Common A punitive discharge was part of 62% of enlisted convictions, compared with 58% for the Air Force in 2023\. There were 5 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation. ## A Mostly Judge-Alone Month The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A military judge alone decided 16 cases. Members decided 24%: 4 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Among contested cases, members decided 5 of 10 (50%). Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. ## Rank and Installation The accused were 16 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 4 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. That mix is more junior than the Air Force overall, where 62% were junior enlisted. JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, was the only installation with 2 cases. Offutt AFB, Nebraska, Kadena AB, Japan, JB Lewis-McChord, Washington, and USAF Academy, Colorado, had 1 each. Together the five accounted for 29% of the month's cases. ## After May 2022, and What Is Missing May 2022 had 32 cases, and May 2023 had 21\. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 6 of 18 to 7 of 10\. The contested share went from 56% to 48%. Convictions with confinement went from 77% to 100%. Median confinement went from 5 months to 4 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 50% to 62%. With so few cases, these changes show direction only. The records do not include offense dates, evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations. | | May 2022 | May 2023 | | ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- | | Cases | 32 | 21 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 56% | 48% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 6 of 18 | 7 of 10 | | Convictions with confinement | 77% | 100% | | Median confinement | 5 months | 4 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 62% | | General courts-martial | 50% | 52% | 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 a trial date in May 2023 (21 cases), compared with the whole year. 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) - [April 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 22 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2023/) (previous / next) - [What the Air Force Tried in June 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-june-2023/) (previous / next) - [How 2023 Went at Air Force Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-2023-year-in-review/) (the whole year) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, April 2019: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2019/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2018: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2018/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-august-2020/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [April 2023 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 22 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-april-2023/)Next: [What the Air Force Tried in June 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-june-2023/) → **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.