What the Army Tried in July 2022
The Army tried 24 courts-martial in July 2022. Domestic violence charges were more common than usual: Article 128b appeared in 30% of cases, compared with 13% for the Army across 2022. Sentences were also longer.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Army tried 24 courts-martial in July 2022. Domestic violence charges were more common than usual: Article 128b appeared in 30% of cases, compared with 13% for the Army across 2022. Sentences were also longer. 9 of 23 convictions (39%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 27% for the year.
Domestic Violence and Disobedience Charges
Charge lists exist for 23 of the 24 cases, and a case counts once under each article it charges. Article 128b (domestic violence) and Article 134 (general article) each appeared in 7 cases, or 30%. The Army shares for 2022 were 13% and 21%.
Charges about orders and authority were more common than for the year. Article 90 (willfully disobeying superior officer) appeared in 22% of cases, compared with 6%. Article 91 (insubordinate conduct toward NCO) appeared in 13%, compared with 3%. Article 82 (soliciting) also appeared in 13%, compared with 2%.
Article 128 (assault) was charged less often than for the year: 22% compared with 27%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 13%, compared with 8%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 13%, the same as its share for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 7 | 30% | 13% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 30% | 21% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 22% | 27% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 5 | 22% | 6% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 13% | 13% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 13% | 8% |
| Art. 91 Insubordinate conduct toward NCO | 3 | 13% | 3% |
| Art. 82 Soliciting | 3 | 13% | 2% |
More Long Sentences
Of 23 convictions, 19 included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months for 2022. A quarter of sentences were 2.5 years or more.
8 convictions (35%) were more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 20% for the Army that year. 1 more was 5 years or more. Sentences under 6 months made up 30%, compared with 41%. Sentences of 6 months to 1 year made up 13% of convictions, compared with 16%. 4 convictions (17%) included no confinement, compared with 16% for the year.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year. A special court-martial is limited to one year. The figures are adjudged sentences covering every charge, recorded before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 17% | 16% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 30% | 41% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 13% | 16% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 35% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 7% |
Punitive Discharges for Enlisted Members
Every convicted member this month was an enlisted member. Of 23, 19 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (83%), and 7 of those were dishonorable. The Army share for 2022 was 76%.
A dishonorable discharge requires a general court-martial. A special court-martial can adjudge a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable one. A sentence without either does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not cover.
More Junior Enlisted Accused, No Officers
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 71% of the accused, compared with 57% across the Army in 2022. NCOs accounted for 29%, and no officers were tried.
General courts-martial made up 16 of 24 cases (67%), compared with 74% for the year. The rest were special courts-martial. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be heard by a military judge alone, with confinement capped at six months and no punitive discharge available.
Pleas and Contested Cases
Pleas were 16 guilty and 8 not guilty or mixed. A not-guilty plea to at least one charge makes a case contested. The contested share was 33%, compared with 36% for the year.
Of the 16 guilty pleas, 13 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. Army records say whether an agreement existed but not what it said. Among contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 of 8 ended in a full acquittal.
Who Decided Guilt
A military judge alone decided 20 cases, and enlisted panels decided 4. No officer panel heard a case. Members heard 17% of cases, compared with 20% for the Army in 2022.
The accused usually chooses whether a military judge or members decide guilt. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so the forum split follows the number of contested cases.
Compared With July 2021
July 2021 had 43 cases, compared with 24 in July 2022. The contested share was about the same: 35% and 33%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 5 of 15 to 1 of 8.
The median confinement went from 6 months to 7 months. Convictions with confinement went from 76% to 83%. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 74% to 83%. The general court-martial share went from 63% to 67%. In groups this small, a few cases can change these figures.
| July 2021 | July 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 43 | 24 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 35% | 33% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 15 | 1 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 76% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 74% | 83% |
| General courts-martial | 63% | 67% |
Installations and What the Records Do Not Show
Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 4 cases, Fort Benning 3, and Fort Campbell, Fort Stewart, and Fort Bliss 2 each. Together they had 54% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases overall.
These records include only cases that reached a courtroom. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, or cases closed without action, and they do not describe the evidence, plea terms, or offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in July 2022 (24 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 June 2022 (previous / next)
- What the Army Tried in August 2022 (previous / next)
- The Army Court-Martial Year, 2022 (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.