Contested Air Force Cases in 2020: Verdicts and Sentences
The Air Force records hold 107 contested courts-martial tried in 2020, and 62 of them ended in a full acquittal (58%), compared with 50% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › Air Force 2020, contested
Short answer: The Air Force records hold 107 contested courts-martial tried in 2020, and 62 of them ended in a full acquittal (58%), compared with 50% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. Among the cases with charges listed, Article 112a (drug) appeared in 36%, against 18% in the 2020–2025 group. The median confinement after a conviction was 6 months, compared with 1 year.
More Full Acquittals Than Across 2020–2025
Every one of the 107 cases was contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. 62 of the 107 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (58%). Across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025, the rate was 50%.
16 cases split the charges, with the accused found not guilty of some and guilty of others. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal shows up only when an appeals opinion reports it. The true number of partial acquittals may be higher.
Members Decided Most Cases
Members heard 80% of the cases: 52 by an enlisted panel and 34 by an officer panel. A military judge alone decided 21. Across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025, members heard 75%.
Contested cases decided by members ended in a full acquittal 62% of the time (53 of 86). Contested cases decided by a military judge alone ended in a full acquittal 43% of the time (9 of 21). The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt, so cases tried each way are not alike, and these rates describe what happened rather than what the forum caused.
Drug Charges Were More Common in 2020
Only 44 of the 107 records list the charges, and Air Force records list charges mainly for convictions. Among those 44 cases, Article 112a (drug) appeared in 36%, compared with 18% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 25%, compared with 17%.
Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared less often, in 25% compared with 31%. Each article counts once per case, so a case charging both assault and sexual assault counts under both.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 16 | 36% | 18% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 11 | 25% | 31% |
| Art. 134 General article | 11 | 25% | 17% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 23% | 21% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 14% | 14% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5 | 11% | 9% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 3 | 7% | 2% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 7% | 4% |
Shorter Confinement
45 cases ended in a conviction, and confinement was part of 78% of those sentences. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 1 year across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. A quarter of those sentences were 3 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Sentences by Band
13 of 45 convictions (29%) included more than one year of confinement, less often than the 35% in the 2020–2025 group. Sentences under 6 months made up 36% of convictions, compared with 29%. 10 convictions carried no confinement (22%), the same share as in the 2020–2025 group.
At the long end, sentences of 5 years or more made up 7%, compared with 9%. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement, and a special court-martial is capped at one year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 22% | 22% |
| Under 6 months | 16 | 36% | 29% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 13% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 22% | 26% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 7% | 9% |
Results for the Main Charges
Among the convictions with charges listed, the median confinement differed by charge. Convictions under Article 112a had a median of 2 months. Convictions under Article 120 had a median of 2 years, Article 134 had 2.2 years, and Article 128 (assault) had 1.7 years.
Because the records list charges mainly when there was a conviction, the table shows conviction counts and sentences. It does not show conviction rates for any charge.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 16 | 15 | 2 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 11 | 10 | 2 years |
| Art. 134 General article | 11 | 11 | 2.2 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 9 | 1.7 years |
Court Level and Punitive Discharges
75 cases were general courts-martial (70%) and 32 were special courts-martial. The median confinement was 1.5 years at general courts-martial and 2 months at special courts-martial.
Among 41 enlisted members convicted, 19 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (46%), less often than the 55% across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025. 15 of the 19 were dishonorable. 4 convicted officers or warrant officers appear here, and 3 were dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Installations
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 50% of the accused, NCOs 37%, and officers 12%. Across contested Air Force cases in 2020–2025, junior enlisted members were 54%.
Ramstein AB, Germany had 6 cases, Nellis AFB, Nevada and Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona had 5 each, and Cannon AFB, New Mexico and Hurlburt Field, Florida had 4 each. Those five account for 22% of the 107. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Leave Out
Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements. They do not show the evidence or conduct handled outside a court-martial, such as nonjudicial punishment. The records give trial dates, not offense dates.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Air Force courts-martial with a trial date in 2020, a not-guilty or mixed plea, and a result posted (107 cases), compared with all such cases in 2020–2025.
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
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- Air Force Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Air Force Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Contested Air Force Cases in 2021: Verdicts and Sentences
- Contested Air Force Cases in 2025: Verdicts and Sentences
- How Did Contested Air Force Courts-Martial End in 2023?
- Army Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Army Acquittals in 2023: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- 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.