What the Army Tried in April 2025
The Army tried 57 courts-martial in April 2025, and most ended in a guilty plea. Of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 45% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Army tried 57 courts-martial in April 2025, and most ended in a guilty plea. Of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal (31%), compared with 45% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 8 months for the year.
Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas
Of 57 cases with a plea recorded, 44 were guilty pleas and 13 were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 23%, about the same as the 20% for the Army that year.
Of the 44 guilty pleas, 41 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed, not what it provided.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 50 of 56 cases with the forum listed (89%). Members heard 6: 5 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. Those were 6 of the 12 contested cases with a forum listed. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas.
Most Contested Cases Ended in a Conviction
Of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. The other 9 ended in a partial acquittal: guilty of some charges and not guilty of others. Army results list findings charge by charge, so partial acquittals are common in Army data.
The full acquittal rate was 31%, lower than the 45% for the Army across 2025.
Domestic Violence and Assault Charges
Records list charges for 54 cases, with each article counted once per case. Article 128b, domestic violence, was the most common, at 28%, compared with 26% for the year. Article 128, assault, appeared in 24%, compared with 19%. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 22%, the same as the year.
Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 15%, compared with 11%. Less common charges included Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) at 11%, Article 121 (larceny) at 9%, and Article 119b (child endangerment) and Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) at 6% each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 15 | 28% | 26% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 24% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 12 | 22% | 22% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 15% | 11% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 11% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 5 | 9% | 6% |
| Art. 119b Child endangerment | 3 | 6% | 3% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 3 | 6% | 6% |
Results for the Top Charges
Article 128b cases ended in a conviction on that article in 14 of 15 cases (93%), with a median confinement of 6 months. Article 128b was also the charge with the highest guilty plea rate: 87% (13 of 15). Article 128 cases ended in a guilty plea less often: 38% (5 of 13). They ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 13 (77%), with a median of 5 months.
Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 9 of 12 cases (75%), with a median of 1 year. Article 120 cases did so in 5 of 8, the lowest rate among the top charges. The median confinement for those convictions was 8.5 years. One case can include convictions and acquittals on different articles, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 15 | 14 (93%) | 6 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 10 (77%) | 5 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 12 | 9 (75%) | 1 year |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 5 (5 of 8) | 8.5 years |
Sentences and Court Levels
Confinement was part of 82% of the 50 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1.7 years or longer. The month also included 2 life sentences.
Sentences longer than one year made up 12 of 50 convictions (24%), compared with 30% across the Army. There were 31 general courts-martial, and 29% were contested. Their median confinement was 1.5 years. There were 25 special courts-martial, and 12% were contested. Their median was 3 months. The court level is missing for 1 case. Among cases with a court level listed, general courts-martial made up 55%, compared with 66% for the year.
These are adjudged sentences, covering all charges and set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 9 | 18% | 19% |
| Under 6 months | 20 | 40% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 18% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 12% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 12% | 11% |
Punitive Discharges
Of 46 convicted enlisted members, 30 received a punitive discharge: 25 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. The Army share for the year was 73%. Among 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed.
A punitive discharge is part of the sentence. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not include.
Compared With April 2024
April 2024 had 46 cases, compared with 57 in April 2025. The median confinement went from 1.3 years to 6 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 88% to 65%. The general court-martial share went from 89% to 55%.
The contested share went from 33% to 23%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 7 of 15 to 4 of 13. A few cases can change monthly figures.
| April 2024 | April 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 46 | 57 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 33% | 23% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 15 | 4 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 1.3 years | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 88% | 65% |
| General courts-martial | 89% | 55% |
Rank, Installations, and What the Records Do Not Show
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 56% of the accused, NCOs 35%, and officers 9%. The junior enlisted share for the year was 50%. Fort Hood tried 6 cases. Fort Campbell, Fort Bragg, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 5 each, and Vilseck (Europe) tried 4. Together they had 44% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023. These records do not give offense dates, so 2025 trials mix old-rule and new-rule cases. The records also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in April 2025 (57 cases), compared with the whole year.
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
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- March 2025 at Army Courts-Martial: 42 Cases (previous / next)
- May 2025 at Army Courts-Martial: 45 Cases (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial in 2025: Year in Review (the whole year)
- April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases
- Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: The Month in Review
- 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.