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# Army Trial Counsel in Contested Article 119b Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-119b-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:39.000Z
- Description: Across 18 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 119b (child endangerment) from 2023–2026, 16 list a trial counsel of record, and the most experienced prosecutor on each team had a median of 9.5 prior cases in this data.
- 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, trial counsel

**Short answer:** Across 18 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 119b (child endangerment) from 2023–2026, 16 list a trial counsel of record, and the most experienced prosecutor on each team had a median of 9.5 prior cases in this data. In 11 of those 16 cases (69%), that prosecutor had more prior cases than the most experienced defense counsel. 3 of the 18 cases ended in a full acquittal (17%), compared with 40% in all contested Army cases.

Based on 18 cases · 2023–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Prosecution and Defense Experience Side by Side

16 cases name lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense. Comparing the most experienced lawyer of record on each side, the trial counsel had more prior cases in 11 (69%) and fewer in 5 (31%).

This comparison counts appearances in the data only. It does not show which side was better prepared or which lawyer did the work.

## Prior Cases Among Trial Counsel

The median prior-case count for the most experienced trial counsel of record was 9.5\. The 5 to 9 and 10 to 19 groups each held 5 cases (31%). 3 cases (19%) had a trial counsel with 20 or more prior cases, and 2 (12%) had one with 1 to 4.

In 1 case (6%), no trial counsel of record on the team had a prior case in this data.

| Prior cases (most experienced trial counsel) | Cases | Share |
| -------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                               | 1     | 6%    |
| 1 to 4                                       | 2     | 12%   |
| 5 to 9                                       | 5     | 31%   |
| 10 to 19                                     | 5     | 31%   |
| 20 or more                                   | 3     | 19%   |

## How Prior Cases Are Counted

For each lawyer, the count is the number of earlier Army courts-martial in this data, on either side, in which that lawyer was counsel of record before the trial date. A lawyer may have tried cases before the records begin, and the count is not a measure of skill.

Prosecution teams usually list more than one lawyer, and the records do not identify who led. Each case is assigned to its most experienced trial counsel of record. The page does not rate or rank any lawyer.

## Acquittals by Prosecution Experience

Full acquittals appear only in the 2 highest groups: 2 of 5 cases with 10 to 19 prior cases, and 1 of 3 with 20 or more. In the 5 to 9 group, 0 of 5 ended in a full acquittal, though 4 of 5 ended in a partial acquittal.

The single case with no prior trial counsel experience and both cases in the 1 to 4 group ended in a partial acquittal. In the 10 to 19 group, 3 of 5 were partial acquittals, and in the 20 or more group, 2 of 3\. A partial acquittal is not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

These are outcomes in a small group of cases. Without the evidence, plea offers, or knowledge of who did the work, the table cannot show any effect of experience.

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

## Lawyers per Prosecution Team

13 of the 16 cases list 2 trial counsel of record. 3 list 1, and none list 3 or more.

## When These Cases Were Tried

All 18 cases were contested, meaning a not-guilty or mixed plea. They were tried from February 2023 through January 2026, with 8 in 2023, 7 in 2024, 2 in 2025, and 1 in 2026, which is a partial year. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 1.5 years across all contested Army cases.

## Counsel Name Coverage

Counsel names in Army records are nearly complete from 2021\. Beginning this page in 2023 means most lawyers already have prior cases in the data. Different spellings of the same name are merged in the same way as on Learn Your Lawyer. The Navy and Marine Corps are not included because their records list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname.

## Rule Changes and What the Records Omit

Two changes took effect in this period. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder are prosecuted. And for cases where all guilty findings are for offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Offense dates are absent from the records, so trials from 2024 on cannot be sorted by which rules applied.

The records 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)
- [Who Defended Contested Army Article 119b Cases? Defense Counsel Experience, 2023–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-119b-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 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.