Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review
The Army tried 29 courts-martial in August 2025, and domestic violence under Article 128b was the most common charge, appearing in 33% of cases with charges listed, compared with 26% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 9 months, about the same as the 8 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2025
Short answer: The Army tried 29 courts-martial in August 2025, and domestic violence under Article 128b was the most common charge, appearing in 33% of cases with charges listed, compared with 26% for the Army across 2025. The median confinement was 9 months, about the same as the 8 months for the year. 67% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 73%.
What Was Charged
Records list charges for 24 of the 29 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128b, domestic violence, appeared in 8 of them. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 25%, compared with 22% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 12%, compared with 8%.
Several less common articles appeared in 2 cases each. Article 108, covering loss, damage, or destruction of military property, appeared in 8%, compared with 1% for the year. Article 131b (obstructing justice), Article 86 (AWOL), and Article 121 (larceny) also appeared in 8% each. Article 120, rape and sexual assault, appeared in 2 cases as well, lower than its 11% share for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 33% | 26% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 25% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 12% | 8% |
| Art. 108 Military property; loss, damage, destruction | 2 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 8% | 6% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 8% | 3% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 8% | 11% |
Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas
A contested case is one in which the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. August 2025 had 6 contested cases and 23 guilty pleas. The contested share was 21%, about the same as the 20% for the Army that year.
Of the 23 guilty pleas, 18 are recorded with a plea agreement and 5 have no entry. Army records show whether an agreement existed but not its terms, such as any cap on confinement.
A military judge alone decided 23 cases. Members heard 6 (4 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels), or 21%. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas. The accused usually chooses between a military judge and a panel of members.
Confinement
Of 24 convictions, 20 included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 9 months, and a quarter of sentences were 1.7 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year made up 8 of 24 convictions (33%), compared with 30% for the year. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 25% of convictions, compared with 18%. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 8%, compared with 11%.
These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial for all charges in the case and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 17% | 19% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 38% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 12% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 25% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 8% | 11% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
General courts-martial made up 17 of the 29 cases (59%). Their median confinement was 1.3 years, and 18% were contested. At the 12 special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 25% were contested.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and can impose no more than a bad-conduct discharge.
Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge followed 67% of enlisted convictions: 13 bad-conduct and 3 dishonorable. That is lower than the 73% for the Army in 2025.
A punitive discharge is part of the court's sentence. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not track.
Compared With August 2024
August 2024 had 31 cases, compared with 29 in August 2025. The contested share went from 35% to 21%. In August 2024, 4 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. In August 2025 the figure was 0 of 5.
The median confinement went from 6 months to 9 months. Convictions with any confinement went from 96% to 83%. The general court-martial share went from 76% to 59%. Punitive discharges were about the same: 68% and 67%. A few cases can change figures for groups this small, and the records do not explain the changes.
| August 2024 | August 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 31 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 35% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 10 | 0 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 96% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 68% | 67% |
| General courts-martial | 76% | 59% |
Rank and Installations
The accused were 17 NCOs, 11 junior enlisted members, and 1 officer. This group was more senior than the Army overall in 2025.
Fort Drum, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Fort Hood tried 3 cases each, and Fort Benning and Fort Leavenworth 2 each. Those five installations account for 45% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a count alone does not mean a base is unusual.
Law Changes and What the Records Do Not Show
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which cases fell under the new rules. They also do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in August 2025 (29 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)
- What the Army Tried in July 2025 (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, September 2025: The Month in Review (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, December 2024: The Month in Review
- Army Courts-Martial, December 2025: 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.