> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2021: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2021-verdicts/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:30:41.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:30:41.000Z - Description: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 132 contested courts-martial from 2021, and 26% of them ended in a full acquittal, close to the 25% for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › Navy-Marine Corps 2021, contested **Short answer:** The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 132 contested courts-martial from 2021, and 26% of them ended in a full acquittal, close to the 25% for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025\. Convictions brought a median confinement of 10 months, longer than the 6 months for the full period, and Article 128 (assault) was charged in 42% of cases, against 26%. Based on 132 cases · 2021 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## How Often Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, through a not-guilty or mixed plea. All 132 cases in this group were contested and reached a verdict. 26% of them ended in a full acquittal, meaning the accused was acquitted of all charges. Across contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025, the rate was 25%. Another 31 cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. ## Assault and Sexual Assault Charges The charge lists cover 131 of the 132 cases. Each article counts once per case, so a case with three articles appears in three rows of the table. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 55 cases (42%), compared with 26% for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025\. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 42 cases (32%), against 19%. Several other articles also appeared more often than in the full period. Article 134 (the general article) was charged in 27% of cases, against 19%. Article 81 (conspiracy) was charged in 10%, against 4%. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 55 | 42% | 26% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 42 | 32% | 19% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 36 | 27% | 19% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 33 | 25% | 23% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 23 | 18% | 14% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 17 | 13% | 9% | | Art. 81 Conspiracy | 13 | 10% | 4% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 12 | 9% | 6% | ## Conviction Rates for the Top Charges Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) ended in a conviction on that article in 30 of 33 cases (91%), the highest rate among the top charges. Article 134 ended in a conviction in 32 of 36 (89%). Article 120 had the lowest rate: 23 of 42 cases (55%). Article 128 had a similar rate: 31 of 55 (56%). After a conviction on Article 120, the median confinement was 1.3 years. A conviction on Article 134 brought a median of 1.2 years, on Article 128 a median of 11 months, and on Article 92 a median of 6 months. One case can include both a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 128 Assault | 55 | 31 (56%) | 11 months | | Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 42 | 23 (55%) | 1.3 years | | Art. 134 General article | 36 | 32 (89%) | 1.2 years | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 33 | 30 (91%) | 6 months | ## Confinement After a Conviction 98 of the 132 cases ended in a conviction, and 73 of those convictions carried confinement. The median confinement was 10 months, compared with 6 months for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025\. A quarter of the confinement terms were 1.8 years or longer. 29 of the 98 convictions brought more than one year of confinement (30%), compared with 23% for the full period. 25 convictions carried no confinement (26%), compared with 34%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | No confinement | 25 | 26% | 34% | | Under 6 months | 24 | 24% | 29% | | 6 months to 1 year | 20 | 20% | 14% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 24 | 24% | 17% | | 5 years or more | 5 | 5% | 6% | ## More General Courts-Martial 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. Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement. 82 of the 132 cases in 2021 were general courts-martial (62%), compared with 48% for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025\. Their median confinement was 1.5 years. The other 50 were special courts-martial, with a median of 4 months. ## Punitive Discharges 52 of 89 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 33 bad-conduct discharges and 19 dishonorable discharges. Across contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025, the share was 51%. Only 2 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in the 2021 records, and 1 was dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## Rank and Installation Among the accused with rank recorded, 78 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 43 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 4 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is more junior than contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025, where 55% were junior enlisted. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had the most cases (21), followed by San Diego, California (14), Bremerton, Washington (13), Norfolk, Virginia (13), and Mayport, Florida (10). Together these five account for 54% of the 132 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone does not mean a base has a problem. ## What the 2021 Records Do Not Show The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. They also do not include cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/). ### How We Counted Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2021, a not-guilty or mixed plea, and a result posted (132 cases), compared with all such cases in 2021–2025. 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 - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Contested Navy-Marine Corps Cases in 2023: Verdicts and Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2023-verdicts/) - [How Did Contested Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial End in 2022?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2022-verdicts/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2024-verdicts/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2025: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2025-verdicts/) - [Air Force Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2022-verdicts/) - [Air Force Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-air-force-courts-martial-2024-verdicts/) - [Army Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/contested-army-courts-martial-2022-verdicts/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/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](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.