A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California: 2024
Camp Pendleton, California tried 50 courts-martial in 2024, and domestic violence charges were more common than elsewhere. Article 128b was charged in 24% of cases, compared with 13% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Camp Pendleton, California › 2024
Short answer: Camp Pendleton, California tried 50 courts-martial in 2024, and domestic violence charges were more common than elsewhere. Article 128b was charged in 24% of cases, compared with 13% across the Navy and Marine Corps. The contested share was 24%, compared with 34% service-wide, and 68% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
Domestic Violence Was the Most Common Charge
All 50 records list their charges, and a case with several articles is counted under each. Article 128b, domestic violence, was the most common charge, in 12 cases (24%), compared with 13% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Assault under Article 128 was next at 20%, compared with 16%.
Article 134, the general article, was less common here: 14% compared with 22%. Article 92 (orders violation) was also less common: 12% compared with 16%. Drug charges under Article 112a were in 12% of cases, compared with 14%. Obstructing justice under Article 131b was charged in 8%, compared with 4%. False official statements under Article 107 were charged in 8%, compared with 5%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 24% | 13% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 14% | 22% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 12% | 14% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 4 | 8% | 5% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 4 | 8% | 4% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 6% | 8% |
Outcomes for Assault Charges
Of 12 cases charging Article 128b, 11 ended in a conviction on that article (92%). All 10 cases charging Article 128 ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement was 3 months in both groups.
One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap. Each median covers the full sentence.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 12 | 11 (92%) | 3 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 10 (100%) | 3 months |
More Contested Cases Than in 2023
The plea is listed in 46 of the 50 records: 35 guilty pleas and 11 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share of 24% was lower than the 34% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases. It was higher than the 8% at Camp Pendleton in 2023.
Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal (27%), the same as the 27% service-wide rate. 1 more ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.
A Short Median With Some Long Terms
Of 45 cases with a conviction on at least one charge, 36 included confinement (80%). The median confinement was 4 months, compared with 5 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of terms were 2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal.
Terms under 6 months made up 44% of convictions, compared with 38%. Sentences longer than one year were part of 10 of 45 convictions (22%), the same as the 22% elsewhere. 3 were 5 years or more. 9 convictions (20%) included no confinement, compared with 25%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 9 | 20% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 20 | 44% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 13% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 7 | 16% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 7% | 7% |
Sentences by Court Level
General courts-martial were 32% of cases (16 of 50), compared with 38% service-wide. In general courts-martial, 93% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2.4 years.
A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In the 34 special courts-martial, 73% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 months.
Punitive Discharges and Rank
68% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (20 bad-conduct and 10 dishonorable), compared with 58% for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.
The accused were 30 junior enlisted members, 17 NCOs, and 0 officers. This group was more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases.
Change Since 2023, and Comparison With Other Bases
The number of cases rose from 39 in 2023 to 50 in 2024. The median confinement went from 5 months to 4 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 71% to 68%. The general court-martial share went from 36% to 32%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 0 of 3 to 3 of 11. In small groups a few cases can change these figures.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (44 cases) had a median confinement of 1 year and a punitive discharge rate of 70%. At San Diego, California (58 cases), 35% of cases were contested, 7 of 20 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, and the median confinement was 8 months.
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 39 | 50 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 8% | 24% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 3 | 3 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 78% | 80% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 71% | 68% |
| General courts-martial | 36% | 32% |
The 2023 Rule Changes and What the Records Leave Out
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, which include sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Military judges also set sentences 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. As a result, 2024 trials include cases under both the old and new rules, and the records cannot show whether the changes affected the figures above.
The records also do not include the evidence, plea terms, or cases resolved through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp Pendleton, California | 50 | 24% | 3 of 11 | 4 months | 68% |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 44 | 21% | 2 of 9 | 1 year | 70% |
| San Diego, California | 58 | 35% | 7 of 20 | 8 months | 54% |
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Camp Pendleton, California with a trial date in 2024 (50 cases).
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
- Camp Pendleton, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Camp Pendleton, California in 2023: 39 Courts-Martial, Year in Review (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California: 2025 (previous / next)
- Inside 142 Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2024–2026 (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- S1 E33: Dismissing the Camp Pendleton Case (podcast, members)
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Camp Pendleton, California, 2024
- John Ferriter
- Todd Gaston
- Matthew Harris
- Douglas Hatch
- Peter Mcneilly
- Mishonda Mosley
- Jason Pfeil
- Derek Poteet
- David Segraves
- Aran Walsh
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
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.