> ## 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. # Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 112a Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-112a-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:25.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:44:45.000Z - Description: In 11 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) from 2023–2026, the most experienced trial counsel of record on each prosecution team had a median of 10 prior cases in this data. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Army, Article 112a [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Article 112a, trial counsel **Short answer:** In 11 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 112a (drug) from 2023–2026, the most experienced trial counsel of record on each prosecution team had a median of 10 prior cases in this data. Full acquittals came in 4 of the 11 cases (36%), compared with 40% across all contested Army cases in those years. Based on 11 cases · 2023–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## How Many Prior Cases the Prosecutors Had All 11 cases list at least one trial counsel of record, the lawyer or lawyers prosecuting the case. The median prior-case count for the most experienced of them was 10. The most experienced trial counsel had 1 to 4 prior cases in 1 case (9%), 5 to 9 in 4 (36%), 10 to 19 in 4 (36%), and 20 or more in 2 (18%). No case had a prosecution team in which no one had a prior case. | Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share | | -------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- | | No prior cases | 0 | 0% | | 1 to 4 | 1 | 9% | | 5 to 9 | 4 | 36% | | 10 to 19 | 4 | 36% | | 20 or more | 2 | 18% | ## How Experience Is Defined The count includes every earlier Army court-martial in this data in which the lawyer was counsel of record, for either side, before the trial date. It does not measure skill. Cases a lawyer tried before the records begin are not counted. When a side lists several lawyers, the records do not show who led. This page uses the most experienced trial counsel of record for each case. It does not rate or rank any lawyer. ## Outcomes by Prosecution Experience With a most experienced trial counsel in the 5 to 9 group, 3 of 4 cases ended in a full acquittal and 1 of 4 in a partial acquittal. In the 10 to 19 group, 1 of 4 ended in a full acquittal and 2 of 4 in a partial acquittal. The 1 case in the 1 to 4 group ended in a partial acquittal. Of the 2 cases in the 20 or more group, 0 of 2 ended in a full acquittal and 1 of 2 in a partial acquittal. A partial acquittal is a not-guilty finding on at least one charge or specification along with a guilty finding on another. These counts are very small. The records do not include the evidence, plea offers, or which lawyer did the work. The table shows outcomes only and says nothing about whether experience changed them. | Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal | | -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | | 1 to 4 | 1 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 1 | | 5 to 9 | 4 | 3 of 4 | 1 of 4 | | 10 to 19 | 4 | 1 of 4 | 2 of 4 | | 20 or more | 2 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 2 | ## Trial Counsel Compared With Defense Counsel Every case lists lawyers on both sides. In 6 cases (55%), the most experienced trial counsel had more prior cases than the most experienced defense counsel. In 5 (45%), the trial counsel had fewer. ## Number of Prosecutors Listed 6 cases list 2 trial counsel of record. 4 list a single trial counsel, and 1 lists 3 or more. ## Contested Cases Only Each case here was contested: the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Trials ran from January 2023 through April 2026, with 6 in 2023, 3 in 2024, 1 in 2025, and 1 in 2026\. The 2026 figure covers part of the year. ## Which Records Have Counsel Names Army records list counsel names nearly completely from 2021, and this page begins in 2023 so that most lawyers already have cases behind them in the data. Names spelled more than one way are combined using the Learn Your Lawyer method. Navy and Marine Corps records name counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, and are not used here. ## What Else the Records Leave Out From December 28, 2023, special trial counsel instead of commanders decide whether covered offenses, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, are prosecuted. For cases in which all guilty findings are for offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence using new sentencing parameters. Offense dates are not in the records, so trials from 2024 on include both old-rule and new-rule cases. The records also lack the evidence and the plea terms, and they do not cover nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 112a on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?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 112a and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (11 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 112a (Wrongful Use, Possession of Controlled Substances): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-112a-courts-martial/) (hub) - [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 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 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 112a explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **Compare: federal court.** [Drug Use: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-use-vs-army/) · [Drug Distribution: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-drug-distribution-vs-army/) **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.