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# Army Courts-Martial, July 2024: The Month in Review
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-july-2024/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:11:37.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:57.000Z
- Description: The Army tried 36 courts-martial in July 2024. Of the convicted enlisted members, 57% received a punitive discharge, compared with 72% for the Army across 2024. Full acquittals were more common than for the year: 5 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict (50%), compared with 37%.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › July 2024

**Short answer:** The Army tried 36 courts-martial in July 2024\. Of the convicted enlisted members, 57% received a punitive discharge, compared with 72% for the Army across 2024\. Full acquittals were more common than for the year: 5 of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict (50%), compared with 37%.

Based on 36 cases · July 2024 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Fewer Punitive Discharges

Of 30 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (57%). Of those 17, 3 were dishonorable discharges. Both are punitive discharges for enlisted members. The officer form is dismissal.

The month had 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was dismissed. A member who is not given a punitive discharge can still be separated administratively later. These records do not cover administrative separation.

## Larceny, AWOL, and False Statements

All 36 records list the charges. Each article counts once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common charge, in 7 cases (19%), compared with 23% for the year. Article 121 (larceny) was charged in 6 cases (17%), compared with 7%.

Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 107 (false official statements) were each charged in 11% of cases, compared with 4% for 2024\. Article 128 (assault) and Article 134 (general article) were each charged in 17% of cases. Both were lower than their shares for the year, 23% and 21%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 11% of cases, compared with 15%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                               | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                     | 7     | 19%        | 23%                             |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                   | 6     | 17%        | 21%                             |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                           | 6     | 17%        | 23%                             |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                           | 6     | 17%        | 7%                              |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 4     | 11%        | 12%                             |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                    | 4     | 11%        | 15%                             |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                | 4     | 11%        | 4%                              |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements         | 4     | 11%        | 4%                              |

## How Did Contested Cases End?

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either fully or through a mixed plea. July 2024 had 10 contested cases that reached a verdict. Of those, 5 ended in a full acquittal (50%). Another 3 ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.

Army results report findings charge by charge. For that reason, partial acquittals appear often in this data.

## Pleas and Panels

The month had 26 guilty pleas and 10 contested cases. The contested share was 28%, about the same as the 27% for the Army in 2024\. Of the 26 guilty pleas, 25 are recorded with a plea agreement and 1 has no entry. The records do not say what any agreement contained.

A military judge alone decided guilt in 33 of 36 cases (92%). Members heard 3 cases, all with enlisted panels. Among contested cases, members heard 3 of 10 (30%). The accused usually chooses the forum.

## Mostly Short Confinement

Of 31 convictions, 27 included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, shorter than the 6-month median for 2024\. A quarter of terms were 1.3 years or longer.

Terms under 6 months made up 55% of convictions, compared with 43% Army-wide. Sentences over one year were given in 7 of 31 convictions (23%), compared with 28%. Of those, 1 conviction carried 5 years or more.

The median confinement was 10 months at general courts-martial (19 cases) and 3 months at special courts-martial (12 cases). The contested shares were 32% and 33%. The court level is not listed for 5 cases. These are adjudged sentences for all charges, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2024 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 4           | 13%        | 13%                             |
| Under 6 months                  | 17          | 55%        | 43%                             |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 3           | 10%        | 15%                             |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6           | 19%        | 21%                             |
| 5 years or more                 | 1           | 3%         | 7%                              |

## A Smaller General Court-Martial Share

General courts-martial made up 61% of the month’s cases with a court level listed: 19 cases, compared with 12 special courts-martial. For the Army over 2024, the general share was 75%. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

By rank, the accused were 19 junior enlisted members, 15 NCOs, and 2 officers. This mix was similar to the Army that year.

## Change From July 2023

July 2023 had 25 cases. July 2024 had 36\. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were less common: 57%, compared with 90% in July 2023\. The general court-martial share was 61%, compared with 76%. The contested share was 28%, compared with 24%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 5 of 10, compared with 3 of 6.

The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months a year earlier. Convictions that included confinement were 87%, compared with 77%. Monthly counts are small, so a few cases can produce changes of this size.

July 2024 trials also come after December 28, 2023\. On that date, special trial counsel began deciding whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023\. The records do not give offense dates, so they cannot show which cases were under which rules.

|                                     | July 2023 | July 2024 |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                               | 25        | 36        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 24%       | 28%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 6    | 5 of 10   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 77%       | 87%       |
| Median confinement                  | 5 months  | 4 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 90%       | 57%       |
| General courts-martial              | 76%       | 61%       |

## Installations and Missing Information

Fort Hood tried 5 cases, Camp Humphreys 4, Fort Carson 3, and Fort Drum and Joint Base Lewis-McChord 2 each. Together these installations account for 44% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, cases closed with no action, evidence, and plea terms are not in the records.

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 a trial date in July 2024 (36 cases), compared with the whole year.

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

- [Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [Army Courts-Martial, June 2024: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-june-2024/) (previous / next)
- [August 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 31 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-august-2024/) (previous / next)
- [The Army Court-Martial Year, 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-2024-year-in-review/) (the whole year)
- [April 2023 at Army Courts-Martial: 49 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-april-2023/)
- [April 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 46 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-april-2024/)
- [Army Courts-Martial, August 2025: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-august-2025/)
- [Army Courts-Martial, December 2024: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-december-2024/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Army Courts-Martial, June 2024: The Month in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-june-2024/)Next: [August 2024 at Army Courts-Martial: 31 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-august-2024/) →

**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.