Contested Navy-Marine Corps Cases in 2023: Verdicts and Sentences
In 2023, the Navy and Marine Corps records hold 95 contested courts-martial. When these cases ended in a conviction with confinement, the median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025.
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Trends › By Year › Navy-Marine Corps 2023, contested
Short answer: In 2023, the Navy and Marine Corps records hold 95 contested courts-martial. When these cases ended in a conviction with confinement, the median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025. 22% ended in a full acquittal, close to the 25% for the full period.
Median Confinement of 1 Year
74 of the 95 contested cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge. 47 of those 74 convictions carried confinement. The median confinement among them was 1 year. For contested Navy and Marine Corps cases across 2021–2025, the median was 6 months.
A quarter of the 2023 confinement terms were 2.7 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence. These figures are adjudged sentences, meaning the sentence imposed at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Sentence Bands
The share of convictions with no confinement was not lower than in the full period: 27 convictions carried no confinement at all (36%), compared with 34%. 17 brought under 6 months (23%), against 29%.
19 of the 74 convictions brought more than one year of confinement (26%), about the same as the 23% for 2021–2025. 5 convictions brought 5 years or more (7%).
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 27 | 36% | 34% |
| Under 6 months | 17 | 23% | 29% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 11 | 15% | 14% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 14 | 19% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 7% | 6% |
Sexual Assault Charges Appeared More Often
All 95 records list the charges. Each article counts once per case, so a case charging assault and sexual assault is counted under both.
Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 27 cases (28%), close to the 26% for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) followed with 24 cases (25%), compared with 19% for the full period. Article 107 (false official statements) was charged in 13% of cases, against 9%, and Article 91 (insubordinate conduct toward an NCO) in 6%, against 3%.
Other articles were less common: Article 112a (drug offenses), in 8% of cases against 14%, and Article 134 (the general article), in 15% against 19%. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 8%, the same as the full period.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 27 | 28% | 26% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 24 | 25% | 19% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 19 | 20% | 23% |
| Art. 134 General article | 14 | 15% | 19% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 12 | 13% | 9% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 8% | 14% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 8% | 8% |
| Art. 91 Insubordinate conduct toward NCO | 6 | 6% | 3% |
Conviction Rates for Each Top Charge
Article 134 had the highest conviction rate among the top charges: 13 of 14 cases ended in a conviction on that article (93%), with a median confinement of 1.7 years. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) ended in a conviction in 17 of 19 cases (89%), with a median of 1 year.
Article 120 had the lowest rate: 10 of 24 cases (42%). Those 10 convictions brought a median confinement of 1.5 years. Article 128 ended in a conviction in 13 of 27 cases (48%), with a median of 11 months. One case can include 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 | 27 | 13 (48%) | 11 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 24 | 10 (42%) | 1.5 years |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 19 | 17 (89%) | 1 year |
| Art. 134 General article | 14 | 13 (93%) | 1.7 years |
Full and Partial Acquittals
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty or enters a mixed plea. 22% of the 95 contested cases decided in 2023 ended with the accused acquitted of all charges. The rate for contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025 was 25%.
21 other cases ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
A punitive discharge followed 55% of enlisted convictions in 2023: 23 bad-conduct discharges and 14 dishonorable discharges. Across contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2021–2025, the share was 51%.
2 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in the records, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level, Rank, and Installation
General courts-martial made up 55% of the cases (52 of 95), with a median confinement of 1.5 years. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. The other 43 cases were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year; their median was 5 months.
Among the accused with rank recorded, 54 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 31 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.
Norfolk, Virginia, had the most cases (14), followed by San Diego, California (11), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (10), Bremerton, Washington (8), and Quantico, Virginia (5). Together they account for 51% of the 95 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Cover
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, offense dates, or matters handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2023, a not-guilty or mixed plea, and a result posted (95 cases), compared with all such cases in 2021–2025.
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
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Did Contested Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial End in 2022?
- Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2021: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Navy-Marine Corps Acquittals in 2025: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Air Force Acquittals in 2022: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Air Force Acquittals in 2024: How Many Contested Cases Ended Not Guilty?
- Army Acquittals in 2022: 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.