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# Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 107 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-107-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:29.000Z
- Description: From 2023 to 2026, 32 contested Army courts-martial charged Article 107 (false official statement). In 26 of them, a defense counsel of record is listed, and the median prior-case count for the most experienced defense lawyer on each team was 10.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Army, Article 107

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Article 107, defense counsel

**Short answer:** From 2023 to 2026, 32 contested Army courts-martial charged Article 107 (false official statement). In 26 of them, a defense counsel of record is listed, and the median prior-case count for the most experienced defense lawyer on each team was 10\. Full acquittals came in 22% of these cases (7 of 32), compared with 40% across all contested Army cases in those years.

Based on 32 cases · 2023–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## How Contested Article 107 Cases Ended

Every case on this page was contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 32 cases, 7 ended in a full acquittal (22%). Across all contested Army cases in 2023–2026, the full-acquittal rate was 40%.

Among convicted enlisted members, 48% received a punitive discharge, which is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. The rate across all contested Army cases was 68%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## How Experience Is Counted

Experience on this page is a count. For each lawyer, it is the number of courts-martial that lawyer had already appeared on as counsel of record in this data, on either side, in the Army, before the trial date. It does not measure skill. A lawyer may also have tried cases before the records begin, and those cases are not counted.

Most cases list more than one defense lawyer, and the records do not say who led the team. Each case is therefore counted by the most experienced defense counsel of record on it. Nothing on this page rates or ranks any lawyer.

## Prior Cases on the Defense Side

Of the 32 cases, 26 list at least one defense counsel of record. In those 26, the median prior-case count for the most experienced defense lawyer was 10.

The largest group was 10 to 19 prior cases, with 12 cases (46%). Another 9 cases (35%) fell in the 5 to 9 group. Only 2 cases (8%) were in the 1 to 4 group, and 3 cases (12%) had a defense lawyer with 20 or more prior cases. Every listed defense team had at least one lawyer with a prior case in the data.

| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                                 | 0     | 0%    |
| 1 to 4                                         | 2     | 8%    |
| 5 to 9                                         | 9     | 35%   |
| 10 to 19                                       | 12    | 46%   |
| 20 or more                                     | 3     | 12%   |

## Acquittals Within Each Experience Group

The second table splits the 26 contested cases with a listed defense counsel by experience group. A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another.

In the 10 to 19 group, 25% of the 12 cases ended in a full acquittal and 58% in a partial acquittal. In the 5 to 9 group, 3 of 9 ended in a full acquittal and 5 of 9 in a partial acquittal. Neither the 2 cases in the 1 to 4 group nor the 3 cases in the 20 or more group ended in a full acquittal.

These groups are small. The records also do not show the evidence, any plea offers, or which lawyer did the work. The rows describe outcomes only and do not show any effect of experience.

| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
| ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| 1 to 4                                         | 2               | 0 of 2         | 2 of 2            |
| 5 to 9                                         | 9               | 3 of 9         | 5 of 9            |
| 10 to 19                                       | 12              | 25%            | 58%               |
| 20 or more                                     | 3               | 0 of 3         | 2 of 3            |

## Size of the Defense Teams

In 20 of the 26 cases, the records list 2 defense counsel of record. A single defense counsel was listed in 3 cases, and 3 or more in another 3.

## Defense and Trial Counsel Compared Within Cases

In 25 cases, lawyers are listed on both sides. Comparing the most experienced lawyer on each side, the defense counsel had more prior cases in 14 of them (56%). The defense counsel had fewer prior cases in 9 (36%), and the rest were tied.

## Years Covered and Name Coverage

The cases were tried from January 2023 to September 2026: 7 in 2023, 8 in 2024, 11 in 2025, and 6 in 2026, a partial year.

Army counsel names are nearly complete in the records from 2021\. This page begins two years later so that most lawyers have earlier cases in the data. Names spelled several ways are merged using the same method as Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, so those services are not included.

## Rule Changes and Limits

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. For offenses after December 27, 2023, when every guilty finding is for such an offense, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules turn on the offense date.

The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so cases tried from 2024 on mix old-rule and new-rule cases. They also do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 107 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Army courts-martial with trial dates in 2023–2026 that charged Article 107 and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (32 cases). Counsel of record are as listed in the public records.

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

- [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) (hub)
- [Article 107 (False Official Statements): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-107-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 107 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-107-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 112a Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 115 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-115-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 120 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-120-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 121 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-121-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 128 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-128-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 131b Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-131b-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/)
- [Article 107 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [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.