Army Article 131b Cases in 2022
The median confinement in Army obstruction cases in 2022 was 1 year, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2022. The records hold 26 courts-martial charging Article 131b. A punitive discharge followed 65% of enlisted convictions, lower than the 76% Army-wide.
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Trends › By Offense › Article 131b › Army, 2022
Short answer: The median confinement in Army obstruction cases in 2022 was 1 year, compared with 6 months for all Army cases in 2022. The records hold 26 courts-martial charging Article 131b. A punitive discharge followed 65% of enlisted convictions, lower than the 76% Army-wide.
Longer Confinement Than Army-Wide
Confinement was part of 77% of the 22 convictions. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months Army-wide. A quarter of the sentences were 2.1 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were 8 of 22 convictions (36%), compared with 27% for the Army as a whole. 3 sentences were 5 years or more (14%, compared with 7%).
Short sentences were less common. Only 4 convictions (18%) had less than 6 months of confinement, compared with 41% Army-wide. 5 convictions (23%) had no confinement.
These are adjudged sentences, set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, all Army cases in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 23% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 4 | 18% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 23% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 23% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 14% | 7% |
Other Charges in Every Case
Article 131b was the only charge in 0 of the 26 cases. Article 81 (conspiracy) and Article 92 (orders violation) were each charged in 9 cases. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 7, Article 120 (sexual assault) in 6, and Article 107 (false official statement) in 5.
The sentence figures therefore describe whole cases, not the obstruction charge alone. Some of these cases included more serious offenses.
Contested Cases and Acquittals
Of 26 accused, 14 pleaded guilty and 12 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 46%, higher than the 36% across the Army.
Plea agreements are recorded for 12 of the 14 guilty pleas, and 2 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed, not its terms.
All 12 contested cases reached a verdict. 4 of 12 ended in a full acquittal (33%), compared with 38% Army-wide. The other 8 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of some charges and guilty of others. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common.
Who Decided Guilt?
In most cases, the accused chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members decided 27% of cases with the forum listed: 6 by enlisted panels and 1 by an officer panel. A judge alone decided the other 19. In contested cases, members decided 7 of 12 (58%).
Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The split between judges and members therefore mostly follows the split between guilty pleas and contested cases. The accused chooses the forum, so the records cannot show how a case would have ended with the other forum.
Changes From 2021
There were 25 cases in 2021 and 26 in 2022. The median confinement was 9 months in 2021 and 1 year in 2022. The contested share was 40% in 2021 and 46% in 2022.
Full acquittals were 2 of 10 contested cases in 2021 and 4 of 12 in 2022. The share of convictions with confinement was 87% in 2021 and 77% in 2022. Punitive discharges for enlisted members were 59% in 2021 and 65% in 2022.
These groups are small. A few cases can change a percentage by several points, so the changes show direction more than size.
| 2021 | 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 25 | 26 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 40% | 46% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 10 | 4 of 12 |
| Convictions with confinement | 87% | 77% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 59% | 65% |
| General courts-martial | 80% | 76% |
Discharges and Dismissals
Of 20 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of those, 7 were dishonorable discharges. Both convicted officers or warrant officers, 2 in all, were sentenced to dismissal, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
The punitive discharge rate of 65% was lower than the 76% for all Army cases in 2022. The median confinement was longer than the Army-wide figure. Discharge and confinement are separate parts of a sentence. The records show both but do not show how they were decided.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level, Rank, and Installations
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial can impose no more than one year of confinement. General courts-martial were 76% of the 25 cases with a court level listed (19 of 25). The court level is not listed for 1 case.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and NCOs were each 46% of the accused, and officers were 8%. Across the Army in 2022, junior enlisted members were 57%.
Fort Knox, Fort Bragg, and Fort Huachuca had 3 cases each. Fort Benning and Fort Carson had 2 each. Together they account for 50% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Show
These cases were tried between January 2022 and November 2022. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include the evidence or plea terms, or matters handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in 2022 that charged Article 131b (26 cases), compared with all Army cases that year and with 2021.
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
- Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Army Obstruction Cases Ended in 2021 (previous / next)
- Obstruction at Army Courts-Martial, 2023: The Year in Numbers (previous / next)
- How Has Article 131b Changed in Army Courts-Martial Since 2021? (the full trend)
- Army Article 131b Cases in 2024
- Army Article 131b Cases in 2025
- How Much Confinement for an Article 131b Conviction in the Army?
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
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.