March 2025 at Army Courts-Martial: 42 Cases
The Army tried 42 courts-martial in March 2025. The median confinement for convictions that month was 4 months, compared with 8 months for the Army across 2025. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common charge, in 29% of cases, compared with 26% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The Army tried 42 courts-martial in March 2025. The median confinement for convictions that month was 4 months, compared with 8 months for the Army across 2025. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common charge, in 29% of cases, compared with 26% for the year.
Many Convictions Without Confinement
Of 39 cases that ended in a conviction on at least one charge, 24 included confinement (62%). The other 15 convictions (38%) had no confinement. That share was higher than the 19% for the Army across the year.
When confinement was imposed, the median was 4 months, shorter than the 8 months for the Army that year. A quarter of terms were 1.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences. They cover every charge in the case and are set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 15 | 38% | 19% |
| Under 6 months | 16 | 41% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 5% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 13% | 18% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 3% | 11% |
Few Long Terms
Only 6 of 39 convictions (15%) carried more than one year, compared with 30% for the year. Terms of 5 years or more made up 3%, compared with 11%. Terms from 6 months to 1 year made up 5%, compared with 15%. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement.
Domestic Violence Was the Most Common Charge
All 42 records list charges. Each article is counted once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 12 cases (29%). Article 134 (general article) was next, in 8 cases (19%, compared with 22% for the year). Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 5 cases (12%, compared with 11%).
Article 121 (larceny) was charged in 10% of cases, compared with 6%. Article 119b (child endangerment) was charged in 7%, compared with 3%. Article 128 (assault) was charged in only 3 cases (7%), lower than its 19% share for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Army for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 29% | 26% |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 19% | 22% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 12% | 11% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 10% | 6% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 7% | 19% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 7% | 6% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 3 | 7% | 7% |
| Art. 119b Child endangerment | 3 | 7% | 3% |
Results for the Most Common Charges
All 8 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article (8 of 8). The median confinement for those convictions was 1.5 years. Article 128b cases ended in a conviction on that article in 10 of 12 cases (83%), with a median of 4 months. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows can overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 10 (83%) | 4 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 1.5 years |
Most Cases Ended in Guilty Pleas
Only 7 cases were contested. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The other 35 cases were guilty pleas, and all of them are recorded with a plea agreement. The contested share was 17%, slightly lower than the 20% for the Army in 2025. Army records show whether an agreement existed but not its terms.
Of the 7 contested cases, 3 ended in a full acquittal.
Discharges, Rank, and Court Level
Of 34 convicted enlisted members, 26 received a punitive discharge: 19 bad-conduct discharges and 7 dishonorable discharges. For the Army in 2025, the share was 73%. The month also had 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, and none was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation.
The accused were 16 junior enlisted members, 20 NCOs, and 6 officers. This mix was more senior than the year. There were 24 general courts-martial and 16 special courts-martial, and 2 are not listed. The general share was 60%, lower than the 66% for the year. The median confinement was 4 months at both court levels. Of general courts-martial, 25% were contested, compared with 6% of special courts-martial.
A military judge alone decided 35 cases. Of cases with a forum listed, members decided 17%: 4 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels.
Installations
Fort Hood tried 7 cases. Wheeler Army Airfield and Fort Bragg tried 4 each, and Fort Leonard Wood and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson tried 2 each. Together these installations account for 45% of the 42 cases. Larger installations try more cases overall.
Compared With March 2024
March 2024 had 55 cases. March 2025 had 42. The contested share was 17%, compared with 38% in March 2024. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 3 of 7, compared with 9 of 20. Convictions that included confinement were 62%, compared with 96%. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 6 months. The general court-martial share was 60%, compared with 81%. Enlisted punitive discharges were about the same: 76%, compared with 75%.
Monthly groups are small, and a few cases can change these figures. They show direction, not precise change.
| March 2024 | March 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 55 | 42 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 38% | 17% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 9 of 20 | 3 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 96% | 62% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 75% | 76% |
| General courts-martial | 81% | 60% |
Rule Changes and Missing Details
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, including sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Military judges also sentence under new parameters when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records list trial dates, not offense dates. Trials in 2025 can fall under either set of rules, and the data cannot show whether the changes affected any figure here.
Evidence, plea terms, and conduct handled outside a court-martial are not in these records.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Army courts-martial with a trial date in March 2025 (42 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 February 2025 (previous / next)
- What the Army Tried in April 2025 (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.