Who Defended Contested Army Article 120c Cases? Defense Counsel Experience, 2023–2026
From 2023–2026, 17 contested Army courts-martial charged Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure). 7 of the 17 ended in a full acquittal (41%), about the same as the 40% in all contested Army cases in those years.
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Short answer: From 2023–2026, 17 contested Army courts-martial charged Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure). 7 of the 17 ended in a full acquittal (41%), about the same as the 40% in all contested Army cases in those years. In the 16 cases with a defense counsel of record listed, the most experienced defense lawyer had a median of 12 prior cases in this data.
Full Acquittal Rate
Every case here was contested: the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. 7 of the 17 cases ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges. That is 41%, compared with 40% across contested Army cases in 2023–2026.
Defense Counsel With 20 or More Prior Cases
16 of the 17 cases list at least one defense counsel of record. For the top lawyer on each of those teams, the median was 12 prior cases.
The 20 or more group was the largest, with 6 cases (38%). Next came 10 to 19 prior cases with 5 (31%), then 5 to 9 with 3 (19%), and 1 to 4 with 2 (12%). Every listed defense team included 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 | 2 | 12% |
| 5 to 9 | 3 | 19% |
| 10 to 19 | 5 | 31% |
| 20 or more | 6 | 38% |
Defining Experience
Experience means the number of courts-martial in this data in which a lawyer had already served as counsel of record, for either side, in the Army, before the trial date. It is not a measure of skill. Work done before the records start is not counted.
Defense teams often include 2 lawyers, and the records never say which one led, so this page places each case by the defense counsel of record with the most prior cases. The page does not rate or rank any lawyer.
Verdicts Within Each Group
With a most experienced defense counsel in the 20 or more group, 3 of 6 cases ended in a full acquittal and 3 of 6 in a partial acquittal. In the 10 to 19 group, 3 of 5 were full acquittals and 1 of 5 partial. In the 5 to 9 group, 1 of 3 was a full acquittal and 1 of 3 partial. In the 1 to 4 group, 0 of 2 were full acquittals and 2 of 2 were partial.
In a partial acquittal, the accused is found guilty of some charges or specifications and not guilty of at least one other. With so few cases per row, and with no information on the evidence, any plea offers, or which lawyer handled the work, the table reports results only. It cannot show that experience made a difference.
| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 2 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 2 |
| 5 to 9 | 3 | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 |
| 10 to 19 | 5 | 3 of 5 | 1 of 5 |
| 20 or more | 6 | 3 of 6 | 3 of 6 |
Defense and Trial Counsel in the Same Case
16 cases list lawyers on both sides. In 8 of them (50%), the most experienced defense counsel of record had more prior cases than the most experienced trial counsel. In 6 (38%), the defense counsel had fewer, and 2 were tied.
Size of the Defense Teams
12 of the 16 cases list 2 defense counsel of record. 3 list 1, and 1 lists 3 or more.
Trial Years and Counsel Names
The trials took place between March 2023 and May 2026: 6 in 2023, 5 in 2024, 4 in 2025, and 2 in 2026, a partial year.
Army records name counsel nearly completely from 2021. Starting this page in 2023 gives most lawyers prior cases in the data. Spelling variants are merged the same way as on Learn Your Lawyer. Navy and Marine Corps records are left out because they list counsel only from mid-2025, mostly by surname.
A Covered Offense
Article 120c is a covered offense. The list of covered offenses also includes sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, and since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel rather than commanders have made the decision whether to prosecute them. A second change applies to sentencing: if all of the guilty findings in a case are for offenses committed after December 27, 2023, a military judge decides the sentence under new sentencing parameters. These records carry no offense dates, so a trial in 2024 or later may have followed either set of rules.
Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases with no action are not included, and the records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120c on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with trial dates in 2023–2026 that charged Article 120c and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (17 cases). Counsel of record are as listed in the public records.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Counsel Experience (hub)
- Article 120c (Other Sexual Misconduct): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Who Prosecuted Contested Army Article 120c Cases? Trial Counsel Experience, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 107 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 112a Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 115 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 120 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 121 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 128 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2026
- Article 120c explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.