January 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 44 Cases
The Army tried 44 courts-martial in January 2024, and most ended in a guilty plea. Only 20% were contested, compared with 27% for the Army across 2024. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › January 2024
Short answer: The Army tried 44 courts-martial in January 2024, and most ended in a guilty plea. Only 20% were contested, compared with 27% for the Army across 2024. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months for the year. 80% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 72%.
Most Cases Were Guilty Pleas
There were 35 guilty pleas and 9 contested cases. In this data, a case is contested whenever the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, including mixed pleas. The contested share was 20%, compared with 27% for the Army in 2024.
Of the 35 guilty pleas, 33 are recorded with a plea agreement and 2 have no entry. Army records report whether an agreement existed, not what it provided. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 of 8 ended in a full acquittal.
Shorter Sentences, More Punitive Discharges
Of 39 convictions, 79% included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, and a quarter of sentences were 2 years or longer.
Many sentences were short. 8 convictions (21%) included no confinement, compared with 13% for the year. 18 (46%) were under 6 months, compared with 43%. 10 of 39 convictions (26%) included more than one year, about the same as the 28% for 2024. 2 (5%) were 5 years or more.
Punitive discharges were more common than for the year. Among 35 convicted enlisted members, 28 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (80%), and 10 of those were dishonorable. All sentence figures are as adjudged at trial for every charge, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 8 | 21% | 13% |
| Under 6 months | 18 | 46% | 43% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 8% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 21% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 5% | 7% |
Assault Was the Most Common Charge
Charges are listed for 43 of 44 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 13 cases (30%), compared with 23% for 2024. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 21%, the same as the year.
Article 128b (domestic violence) was less common: 16% compared with 23%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 16%, about the same as the 15% share for the year. Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer) appeared in 7%, compared with 2%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 30% | 23% |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 21% | 21% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 7 | 16% | 15% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 7 | 16% | 23% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 14% | 12% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 9% | 7% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 3 | 7% | 2% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 3 | 7% | 6% |
Results for the Top Charges
All 9 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 7 months for those convictions. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 11 of 13 cases (85%), with a median of 4 months. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 11 (85%) | 4 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 7 months |
Officers and Rank
Officers made up 9% of the accused, junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) 55%, and NCOs 36%. The Army-wide junior enlisted share for 2024 was 53%. Of 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, 1 was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
For enlisted members and officers, a sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not include.
Who Decided Guilt, and Court Level
A military judge alone decided 38 cases, and enlisted panels decided 5. No officer panel heard a case. Members heard 12% of cases, compared with 15% for the year. Most guilty pleas go to a military judge alone, and the accused usually chooses the forum.
General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, accounted for 33 of the 40 cases with a court level listed (82%). A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement.
Compared With January 2023, and Law Changes
January 2023 had 36 cases. The contested share went from 36% to 20%. The median confinement went from 11 months to 4 months. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 13 to 4 of 8. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 75% to 80%. The general court-martial share went from 69% to 82%.
These months are on either side of December 28, 2023. Since that date, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Military judges sentence under new parameters when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Both rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not give. The data cannot show whether either rule affected these figures, and a few cases can change small monthly groups.
| January 2023 | January 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 36 | 44 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 20% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 13 | 4 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 80% | 79% |
| Median confinement | 11 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 80% |
| General courts-martial | 69% | 82% |
Installations and What the Records Do Not Show
Fort Hood tried 8 cases, Fort Bragg 5, Fort Bliss 4, and Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Stewart 3 each. Together they had 52% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The counts cover cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases closed with no action are not included, and the records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in January 2024 (44 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 December 2023 (previous / next)
- Army Courts-Martial, February 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024 (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.