> ## 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.

# Who Prosecuted Contested Army Article 115 Cases? Trial Counsel Experience, 2023–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-115-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-30T05:28:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:35.000Z
- Description: Of 25 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 115 (communicating threats) from 2023 to 2026, 24 list a trial counsel of record. The most experienced prosecutor on those teams had a median of 11 prior cases in the data.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Army, Article 115

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Article 115, trial counsel

**Short answer:** Of 25 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 115 (communicating threats) from 2023 to 2026, 24 list a trial counsel of record. The most experienced prosecutor on those teams had a median of 11 prior cases in the data. Convictions brought a median confinement of 5 months, compared with 1.5 years across all contested Army cases.

Based on 25 cases · 2023–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Prosecutors Had a Median of 11 Prior Cases

Trial counsel are the lawyers who prosecute a court-martial. In the 24 cases that list one, the median prior-case count for the most experienced trial counsel of record was 11.

The 10 to 19 group held 12 of the 24 cases (50%). The 5 to 9 group held 6 cases (25%) and the 1 to 4 group held 4 (17%). In 2 cases (8%), the most experienced prosecutor had 20 or more prior cases. No team was without a lawyer who had a prior case in the data.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                               | 0     | 0%    |
| 1 to 4                                       | 4     | 17%   |
| 5 to 9                                       | 6     | 25%   |
| 10 to 19                                     | 12    | 50%   |
| 20 or more                                   | 2     | 8%    |

## How a Prior Case Is Defined

A lawyer's prior-case count is the number of Army courts-martial in this data on which that lawyer was counsel of record before the trial date in question. Work on either side counts. The number says nothing about skill, and it leaves out any cases tried before the records begin.

The records do not show who led a prosecution team. For that reason, each case is grouped by its most experienced trial counsel of record. This page does not rate or rank lawyers.

## Full and Partial Acquittals by Group

All 24 cases in the verdict table were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, and all reached a verdict. A partial acquittal is a finding of not guilty on at least one charge or specification and guilty on another.

In the 10 to 19 group, 17% of the 12 cases ended in a full acquittal and 67% in a partial acquittal. In the 5 to 9 group, 3 of 6 ended in a full acquittal and 3 of 6 in a partial acquittal. In the 1 to 4 group, the split was 2 of 4 and 2 of 4\. Both cases in the 20 or more group ended in a full acquittal.

With so few cases in each row, small changes would move these figures. The records also leave out the evidence, plea offers, and who did the work, so the rows describe outcomes, not an effect of experience.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
| -------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| 1 to 4                                       | 4               | 2 of 4         | 2 of 4            |
| 5 to 9                                       | 6               | 3 of 6         | 3 of 6            |
| 10 to 19                                     | 12              | 17%            | 67%               |
| 20 or more                                   | 2               | 2 of 2         | 0 of 2            |

## Prosecution Team Size

The records list 2 trial counsel of record in 14 of the 24 cases. They list 1 in 7 cases and 3 or more in 3 cases.

## Which Side Had More Prior Cases

In 24 cases, both sides have lawyers listed. The most experienced trial counsel had more prior cases than the most experienced defense counsel in 13 cases (54%) and fewer in 10 (42%). The remaining cases were tied.

## Sentences in These Cases

The median confinement after conviction was 5 months. In all contested Army cases from 2023–2026, it was 1.5 years. These are adjudged sentences, the terms announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

A punitive discharge, meaning a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge, followed 45% of enlisted convictions. The rate in all contested Army cases was 68%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Period Covered and Counsel Name Coverage

The data holds these 25 cases from March 2023 to March 2026: 8 in 2023, 9 in 2024, 4 in 2025, and 4 in 2026\. The 2026 figure is a partial year.

Counsel names in Army records are nearly complete from 2021, and this page starts two years later so most lawyers already have prior cases in the data. Names written in more than one way are merged as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, so they are not part of this page.

## Rule Changes and Missing Information

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. Without offense dates, the records cannot show which trials from 2024 on used which rules.

These records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in them, and the evidence and plea terms are not described.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 115 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?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 115 and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (25 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 115 (Malingering Before 2019, Communicating Threats Since): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-115-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [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 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 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 115 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?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.