September 2020 at Air Force Courts-Martial: 26 Cases
The Air Force tried 26 courts-martial in September 2020. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in all of 2020. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (64%), compared with 58% for the year.
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Trends › By Year › September 2020
Short answer: The Air Force tried 26 courts-martial in September 2020. The median confinement was 2 months, compared with 4 months for the Air Force in all of 2020. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (64%), compared with 58% for the year.
Most Contested Cases Ended in a Full Acquittal
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. That happened in 11 of the 26 cases, and 15 accused pleaded guilty. The contested share was 42%, compared with 48% for the Air Force in 2020.
Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. Another 3 were partial acquittals, meaning not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. Air Force results report a single verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion describes it.
A 2-Month Median
Confinement was part of 95% of the 19 convictions. The median confinement was 2 months, and a quarter of terms were 6 months or more. Across the Air Force in 2020, the median was 4 months. A median is the middle term, not an average, so the longer sentences at general courts-martial do not raise it.
These figures are adjudged sentences. They are what the court imposed at trial for every charge in the case, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The sentencing figures describe the 19 convictions, not all 26 cases.
How the Court Levels Differed
General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, heard 12 of the 26 cases (46%), compared with 51% for the year. All 7 convictions at general courts-martial included confinement, and the median was 1 year.
Special courts-martial, capped at one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge, heard the other 14. At special courts-martial, 92% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 45 days. Since 2019, a special court-martial may also be tried by a military judge alone, capped at six months with no punitive discharge.
Punitive Discharges
Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (53%), slightly higher than the 50% for the year. Of the 9, 5 were dishonorable discharges.
Among 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Driving Offenses Were More Common
Charge lists exist for 19 of the 26 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 112a, wrongful use or possession of controlled substances, was the most common charge, at 42%. That is lower than the 51% for the year.
Article 113, which the records label misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019 and drunken or reckless driving since, appeared in 16%, compared with 4% for the Air Force overall. Article 111, labeled drunken or reckless driving before 2019 and leaving the scene of an accident since, appeared in 1 case. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 16%, Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) in 11%, and Article 134 in 11%, compared with 22% for the year.
Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals, and this month had 7 full acquittals. These shares therefore come mostly from cases with a conviction.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 42% | 51% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 16% | 17% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 3 | 16% | 4% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 11% | 22% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 5% | 8% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 1 | 5% | 8% |
| Art. 111 Drunken or reckless driving before 2019, leaving the scene of an accident since | 1 | 5% | 2% |
Panels Decided Most Contested Cases
A military judge alone decided guilt in 18 of 26 cases (69%). Members decided 8: 4 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels.
Among contested cases, members decided 8 of 11 (73%). Most judge-alone trials are guilty pleas, so the forum split mostly follows how many cases were contested. The accused usually chooses the forum.
Compared With September 2019
September 2019 had 27 cases, and September 2020 had 26. Median confinement went from 4 months to 2 months. Convictions with confinement were 95% in both months.
Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 50% to 53%. The general court-martial share went from 44% to 46%. Months this small can change with a few cases, so the comparison shows direction, not precise size.
| September 2019 | September 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 27 | 26 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 42% |
| Convictions with confinement | 95% | 95% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 2 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 53% |
| General courts-martial | 44% | 46% |
Rank, Bases, and Limits
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 65% of the accused, NCOs 27%, and officers 8%. The junior enlisted share was close to the 66% for the year.
Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota, Minot AFB, North Dakota, Shaw AFB, South Carolina, and Columbus AFB, Mississippi, tried 2 cases each, and Creech AFB, Nevada, tried 1. Those five accounted for 35% of the month's cases. Larger bases try more cases of every kind.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in September 2020 (26 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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial, August 2020: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- What the Air Force Tried in October 2020 (previous / next)
- Air Force Courts-Martial in 2020: Year in Review (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
- 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.