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# Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 107 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-107-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:48.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:29.000Z
- Description: The Army tried 32 contested courts-martial charging Article 107 (false official statement) from 2023 to 2026. Trial counsel of record are listed in 25 of them, and the most experienced prosecutor on each team had a median of 10 prior cases in the data.
- 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, trial counsel

**Short answer:** The Army tried 32 contested courts-martial charging Article 107 (false official statement) from 2023 to 2026\. Trial counsel of record are listed in 25 of them, and the most experienced prosecutor on each team had a median of 10 prior cases in the data. Of the 32 cases, 7 ended in a full acquittal (22%), compared with 40% across all contested Army cases.

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

## The Prosecution Teams in These Cases

Trial counsel are the prosecutors at a court-martial. At least one trial counsel of record is listed in 25 of the 32 cases. The records list 2 trial counsel in 16 of those cases, 3 or more in 6, and 1 in the remaining 3.

In 2 cases (8%), no trial counsel of record on the team had a prior case in this data. Every other team had at least one prosecutor with earlier cases behind them.

## What Counts as a Prior Case

A prior case is a court-martial, earlier than the trial date, on which the same lawyer appeared as counsel of record in this Army data. Appearances on either side count. The count is not a measure of skill, and any cases a lawyer tried before the records start are missing from it.

Because the records do not say which lawyer led a team, each case is placed by its most experienced trial counsel of record. No lawyer is rated or ranked here.

## Distribution of Prosecutor Experience

The median prior-case count for the most experienced trial counsel was 10\. The 10 to 19 group held 12 cases (48%), the largest share. The 1 to 4 group held 6 cases (24%).

The 5 to 9 group and the no-prior-cases group held 2 cases each (8% each). In 3 cases (12%), the most experienced prosecutor had 20 or more prior cases.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                               | 2     | 8%    |
| 1 to 4                                       | 6     | 24%   |
| 5 to 9                                       | 2     | 8%    |
| 10 to 19                                     | 12    | 48%   |
| 20 or more                                   | 3     | 12%   |

## Verdicts by Prosecutor Experience

The verdict table covers the 25 contested cases with a listed trial counsel. A full acquittal means not guilty of all charges. 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 67% in a partial acquittal. None of the 6 cases in the 1 to 4 group ended in a full acquittal, and 4 of 6 ended in a partial acquittal. In the 20 or more group, 2 of 3 ended in a full acquittal.

Most of these groups contain only a few cases. The records do not show the evidence, the plea offers, or who did the work, so the rows report outcomes and not the effect of a prosecutor's experience.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
| -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| No prior cases                               | 2               | 0 of 2         | 1 of 2            |
| 1 to 4                                       | 6               | 0 of 6         | 4 of 6            |
| 5 to 9                                       | 2               | 1 of 2         | 1 of 2            |
| 10 to 19                                     | 12              | 25%            | 67%               |
| 20 or more                                   | 3               | 2 of 3         | 1 of 3            |

## Prosecution Compared With Defense

Both sides have lawyers listed in 25 cases. When the most experienced lawyer on each side is compared, the trial counsel had more prior cases in 9 cases (36%) and fewer in 14 (56%). The remaining cases were tied.

## Overall Results and the Wider Army

Across all contested Army cases in 2023–2026, 40% ended in a full acquittal. In this group the rate was 22%. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge.

Among convicted enlisted members here, 48% received a punitive discharge, compared with 68% in all contested Army cases. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.

## Dates and Coverage of Counsel Names

The cases run from January 2023 through September 2026\. There were 7 in 2023, 8 in 2024, 11 in 2025, and 6 in 2026, which is a partial year.

Army records list counsel names almost completely from 2021 onward. Starting this page in 2023 gives most lawyers a history of earlier cases in the data. Different spellings of a name are combined the same way as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records name counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, and are left out.

## Law Changes and What Is Not in the Records

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. The records lack offense dates, so trials from 2024 on mix the old and new rules.

Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

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 Defense Counsel in Contested Article 107 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-107-defense-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.