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# Army Defense Counsel in Contested Article 133 Cases: Prior Cases and Verdicts, 2023–2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-133-defense-counsel-experience-2023-2025/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:18:36.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:18:36.000Z
- Description: Only 1 of the 14 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 133 (conduct unbecoming) from 2023 to 2025 ended in a full acquittal (7%). Across all contested Army cases in those years, the rate was 40%.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Army, Article 133

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Counsel Experience](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/counsel-experience/) › Article 133, defense counsel

**Short answer:** Only 1 of the 14 contested Army courts-martial charging Article 133 (conduct unbecoming) from 2023 to 2025 ended in a full acquittal (7%). Across all contested Army cases in those years, the rate was 40%. In the 12 cases with a defense counsel of record listed, the most experienced defense lawyer had a median of 8 prior cases in this data.

Based on 14 cases · 2023–2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Partial Acquittals in Nearly Every Group

Each of the 14 cases was contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. In these cases, partial acquittals were more common than full acquittals.

Every case in the 10 to 19 group ended in a partial acquittal (5 of 5), as did every case in the 1 to 4 group (3 of 3). In the 5 to 9 group, 3 of 4 cases ended in a partial acquittal and 1 of 4 in a full acquittal. That 1 case is the only full acquittal among the 12 cases with a listed defense counsel.

These are small groups. The records do not show the evidence, plea offers, or which lawyer did the work, so the table describes outcomes and says nothing about the effect of experience.

| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Contested cases | Full acquittal | Partial acquittal |
| ---------------------------------------------- | --------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| 1 to 4                                         | 3               | 0 of 3         | 3 of 3            |
| 5 to 9                                         | 4               | 1 of 4         | 3 of 4            |
| 10 to 19                                       | 5               | 0 of 5         | 5 of 5            |

## What Counts as Experience

Experience here is a count of prior cases: the Army courts-martial a lawyer had already appeared on as counsel of record in this data before the trial date. Appearances for the defense and for the prosecution both count. A high count is not a measure of skill, and cases from before the records begin are not included.

The records list more than one defense lawyer in most cases without saying who led. For that reason, each case is placed by its most experienced defense counsel of record. Nothing on this page rates or ranks a lawyer.

## No Defense Team Reached 20 Prior Cases

The 10 to 19 group was the largest, with 5 of the 12 cases (42%). The 5 to 9 group had 4 cases (33%), and the 1 to 4 group had 3 (25%). No case had a top defense lawyer with 20 or more prior cases.

Every listed defense team had at least one lawyer with an earlier case in the data. Of the 12 cases, 8 listed 2 defense counsel of record and 4 listed 1.

| Prior cases (most experienced defense counsel) | Cases | Share |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ----- | ----- |
| No prior cases                                 | 0     | 0%    |
| 1 to 4                                         | 3     | 25%   |
| 5 to 9                                         | 4     | 33%   |
| 10 to 19                                       | 5     | 42%   |
| 20 or more                                     | 0     | 0%    |

## Defense and Prosecution Experience Side by Side

In 11 cases, lawyers are listed on both sides. The most experienced defense lawyer had more prior cases than the most experienced prosecutor in 6 of them (55%) and fewer in 5 (45%).

## Case Years and Name Coverage

The 14 trials took place from May 2023 to May 2025: 6 in 2023, 5 in 2024, and 3 in 2025.

Army counsel names are nearly complete from 2021, and this page begins in 2023 so that most lawyers have prior cases in the data. Different spellings of a name are combined in the same way 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.

## Law 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. If every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. The records give trial dates only, so cases tried from 2024 on may fall under either set of rules.

Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. 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 2023–2025 that charged Article 133 and had a not-guilty or mixed plea (14 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 133 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-133-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [Who Prosecuted Contested Army Article 133 Cases? Trial Counsel Experience, 2023–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-133-trial-counsel-experience-2023-2025/)
- [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.