> ## 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 Defended Contested Army Article 119b Cases? Defense Counsel Experience, 2023–2026 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-119b-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:38.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:38.000Z - Description: The Army records hold 18 contested courts-martial from 2023–2026 that charged Article 119b (child endangerment). 3 of the 18 ended in a full acquittal (17%), compared with 40% in all contested Army cases in those years. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Army, Article 119b [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Article 119b, defense counsel **Short answer:** The Army records hold 18 contested courts-martial from 2023–2026 that charged Article 119b (child endangerment). 3 of the 18 ended in a full acquittal (17%), compared with 40% in all contested Army cases in those years. In the 16 cases that list a defense counsel of record, the most experienced defense lawyer had a median of 6 prior cases in this data. Based on 18 cases · 2023–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Fewer Full Acquittals Than in Contested Army Cases Overall All 18 cases were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. 3 ended in a full acquittal, which is 17%. Across all contested Army cases in 2023–2026, the rate was 40%. The median confinement in these cases was 8 months. In all contested Army cases in those years, it was 1.5 years. Confinement figures are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. ## Partial Acquittals in Every Experience Group A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. In this group, partial acquittals were common at every level of defense counsel experience. Where the most experienced defense counsel of record had 1 to 4 prior cases, 1 of 4 cases ended in a full acquittal and 3 of 4 in a partial acquittal. In the 5 to 9 group, the figures were 1 of 7 and 5 of 7\. In the 10 to 19 group, they were 1 of 5 and 4 of 5. The groups are small, and the records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or who did the work. The rows describe outcomes, not the effect of experience. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal | | ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- | | 1 to 4 | 4 | 1 of 4 | 3 of 4 | | 5 to 9 | 7 | 1 of 7 | 5 of 7 | | 10 to 19 | 5 | 1 of 5 | 4 of 5 | ## Defense Counsel Prior Cases 16 of the 18 cases list at least one defense counsel of record. In those cases, the median prior-case count of the most experienced defense counsel was 6. The 5 to 9 group was the largest, with 7 cases (44%). The 10 to 19 group had 5 (31%), and the 1 to 4 group had 4 (25%). No case fell in the 20 or more group, and every listed defense team had at least one lawyer with a prior case in this data. | Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share | | ---------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- | | No prior cases | 0 | 0% | | 1 to 4 | 4 | 25% | | 5 to 9 | 7 | 44% | | 10 to 19 | 5 | 31% | | 20 or more | 0 | 0% | ## Meaning of Experience on This Page A lawyer's experience is counted as the courts-martial in this data, on either side and in the Army, where that lawyer was counsel of record before the trial date. The count does not reflect skill, and it misses any cases from before the records start. Most cases list more than one defense lawyer, and the records do not say who led. Each case is counted by its most experienced defense counsel of record. No lawyer is rated or ranked here. ## The Other Side of the Courtroom 16 cases list lawyers for both sides. Comparing the most experienced lawyer of record on each side, the defense counsel had more prior cases in 5 cases (31%) and fewer in 11 (69%). ## Defense Team Size 12 of the 16 cases list 2 defense counsel of record, and 4 list 1\. None list 3 or more. ## Years Covered and Counsel Name Coverage The cases were tried from February 2023 through January 2026: 8 in 2023, 7 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, a partial year. Army counsel names are nearly complete from 2021, so starting in 2023 gives most lawyers earlier cases in the data. Name variants are merged as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records name counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname, and are not included. ## Rule Changes and Gaps 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 show trial dates rather than offense dates, so trials from 2024 on mix old-rule and new-rule cases. 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. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [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 119b and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (18 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 119b (Child Endangerment, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-119b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 119b Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-119b-trial-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 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/) - [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.