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# Inside 29 Courts-Martial at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 2019–2023
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/cannon-afb-new-mexico-courts-martial-2019-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:31:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:02:25.000Z
- Description: Cannon AFB, New Mexico held 29 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023. 84% of cases with a recorded plea were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. The median confinement after conviction was 1.2 years, compared with 4 months in the rest of the Air Force.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Cannon AFB, New Mexico, Air Force

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Cannon AFB, New Mexico](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-cannon-afb-new-mexico/) › 2019–2023

**Short answer:** Cannon AFB, New Mexico held 29 courts-martial from 2019 to 2023\. 84% of cases with a recorded plea were contested, compared with 50% across the Air Force. The median confinement after conviction was 1.2 years, compared with 4 months in the rest of the Air Force.

Based on 29 cases · 2019–2023 · Air Force records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Longer Sentences Than the Rest of the Air Force

Of the 29 cases, 18 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 15 of those sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 1.2 years, longer than the 4-month median across the Air Force. A quarter of the confinement sentences were 3.7 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case. Air Force records never report plea agreements, so the records cannot show whether a plea agreement later limited any sentence.

## Most Cases Were Contested

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 19 records that list a plea, 3 accused pleaded guilty and 16 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 84%. Across all Air Force cases, it was 50%.

Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, and 2019 was the year with the most cases at Cannon in this period. The plea count therefore uses only the records that show a plea.

## Acquittals in Contested Cases

Of 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 9 ended in a full acquittal, a rate of 56%. That was higher than the 51% across the Air Force. Another 2 ended in a partial acquittal: guilty of at least one charge and not guilty of another.

Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal appears only when an appeals opinion reports it. The count of 2 may therefore be lower than the actual number of partial acquittals.

## Panels and General Courts-Martial

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. At Cannon, a judge alone heard 14 cases, enlisted panels heard 9, and officer panels heard 6\. Members heard 52% of cases, compared with 38% across the Air Force. In contested cases, members heard 10 of 16 (62%).

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Cannon held 22 general and 7 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 76%, compared with 53% across the Air Force.

## Change From 2016–2018

The number of cases was about the same: about 6 a year in 2016–2018 and in the full years since. Sentences were more severe in the later period. The median confinement went from 4 months to 1.2 years. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 42% to 69%. General courts-martial went from 29% of cases to 76%.

The share of convictions with any confinement went from 71% to 83%. The earlier period has no plea or acquittal figures to compare, because Air Force records from those years rarely list a guilty plea. There were 17 cases before and 29 after, so a few cases can change these figures.

|                               | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 |
| ----------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                         | 17        | 29        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | —         | 84%       |
| Convictions with confinement  | 71%       | 83%       |
| Median confinement            | 4 months  | 1.2 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 42%       | 69%       |
| General courts-martial        | 29%       | 76%       |

## Discharges and Dismissals

For enlisted members, a punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. 69% of convicted enlisted members at Cannon received one: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 5 dishonorable discharges. Across all Air Force cases, the rate was 56%.

The records list 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and both were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## Charges in the Records That List Them

Only 18 of the 29 records list the charges. Air Force records rarely list charges in a case that ends in a full acquittal, so these charge shares come mostly from cases that ended in a conviction.

In those 18 cases, Article 134, the general article, was charged in 39%, compared with 21% across the Air Force. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 28%, compared with 19%. Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, was charged in 22%, compared with 7%. Article 112a drug offenses were charged in 39%, about the same as the 41% service-wide.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                                  | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------- |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances            | 7     | 39%        | 41%                   |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                                      | 7     | 39%        | 21%                   |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                              | 5     | 28%        | 19%                   |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child                 | 4     | 22%        | 7%                    |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation                    | 2     | 11%        | 16%                   |
| [Art. 115](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 1     | 6%         | 4%                    |
| Art. 127 Extortion                                                                                                                                            | 1     | 6%         | 0%                    |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                                        | 1     | 6%         | 5%                    |

## Compared With Davis-Monthan and Hurlburt Field

Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona and Hurlburt Field, Florida each tried 29 cases in the same years. Cannon had the highest contested share, 84%, compared with 56% and 79%. It also had the longest median confinement, 1.2 years, compared with 6 months at Davis-Monthan and 2 months at Hurlburt Field.

Cannon also had the highest punitive discharge rate for convicted enlisted members: 69%, compared with 59% and 39%.

| Installation               | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| -------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Cannon AFB, New Mexico     | 29    | 84%       | 9 of 16                             | 1.2 years          | 69%                           |
| Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona | 29    | 56%       | 5 of 9                              | 6 months           | 59%                           |
| Hurlburt Field, Florida    | 29    | 79%       | 7 of 15                             | 2 months           | 39%                           |

## Timing, Rank, and Limits

Cannon tried 10 cases in 2019 and then 4, 5, 5, and 5 through 2023\. That is 2% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years. The accused included 16 junior enlisted members, 11 NCOs, and 2 officers.

The records cover courts-martial only. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, offense dates, or plea terms.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial in the data tried at Cannon AFB, New Mexico with a trial date in 2019–2023 (29 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

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

- [Cannon AFB, New Mexico: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-cannon-afb-new-mexico/) (hub)
- [Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 2016–2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/cannon-afb-new-mexico-courts-martial-2016-2018/) (another period)
- [Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 29 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/davis-monthan-afb-arizona-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size)
- [Inside 29 Courts-Martial at Hurlburt Field, Florida, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/hurlburt-field-florida-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (same years, similar size)
- [Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/andersen-afb-guam-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/aviano-ab-italy-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/barksdale-afb-louisiana-courts-martial-2016-2018/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 2016–2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/cannon-afb-new-mexico-courts-martial-2016-2018/)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 2019–2023

- [Colin P. Eichenberger](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-colin-p-eichenberger/)
- [Christina M. Jimenez](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christina-m-jimenez/)
- [James E. Key III](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-james-e-key-iii/)
- [Brett A. Landry](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-brett-a-landry/)
- [Matthew N. McCall](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-n-mccall/)
- [Charlton J. Meginley](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-charlton-j-meginley/)
- [Bradley A. Morris](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-bradley-a-morris/)
- [Andrew R. Norton](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrew-r-norton/)
- [Julie L. Pitvorec](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-julie-l-pitvorec/)
- [Rebecca E. Schmidt](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-rebecca-e-schmidt/)
- [Christopher M. Schumann](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-christopher-m-schumann/)
- [Matthew P. Stoffel](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-p-stoffel/)

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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](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.