> ## 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. # Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-marine-corps/ - Published: 2026-11-03T01:38:49.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:38:49.000Z - Description: The Marine Corps records list 10 contested courts-martial for aggravated assault that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025. None ended in a full acquittal, and 4 (40%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84 of 229 assault trials ended in an acquittal (37%). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Aggravated Assault](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) › Aggravated Assault: Marine Corps Acquittals **In brief:** The Marine Corps records list 10 contested courts-martial for aggravated assault that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025\. None ended in a full acquittal, and 4 (40%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84 of 229 assault trials ended in an acquittal (37%). Updated November 2, 2026 · Sources: U.S. Sentencing Commission and Federal Judicial Center, fiscal years 2016–2025 · Military Trial Results This post uses the Federal Judicial Center's records of 5,508 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). The series also draws on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 659,036 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. It is part of the [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) series, which builds on [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/). How the numbers were built: [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/). ## Marine Corps Contested Cases With a Verdict The Marine Corps has 10 Article 128 cases charging aggravated assault that were contested and reached a verdict. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. No case among the 10 ended in a full acquittal. The other 4 ended in a partial acquittal, which means not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. | Year | Marine Corps: full acquittals of contested cases | | ---- | ------------------------------------------------ | | 2021 | 0 of 3 | | 2022 | 0 of 2 | | 2024 | 0 of 2 | | 2025 | 0 of 3 | ## Which Years Have Cases The table shows cases in 2021 (3), 2022 (2), 2024 (2), and 2025 (3). No contested verdicts are listed for 2023. Each year holds only a few cases, and none ended in a full acquittal. ## Judges and Members A judge alone decided 6 of the 10 cases. Members decided 1 case, and 1 case is listed under enlisted members. The forum is not listed for 3 cases. Navy and Marine Corps records usually do not show who decided guilt. The groups are too small to compare. ## The Federal Group The federal comparison uses Federal Judicial Center data on defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 113, which covers assaults within federal jurisdiction. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 5,508 such cases ended. Guilty pleas accounted for 3,910 (71%). Dismissals accounted for 1,369 (25%). Trials accounted for 229 (4%). In all, 4,055 defendants (74%) were convicted. ## Federal Trials That Ended in Acquittal Of 229 federal trials, 84 ended in an acquittal (37%). Juries decided 177 of the trials, with 62 acquittals (35%). Judges decided 52, with 22 acquittals (42%). Acquittals were more common at federal trials than full acquittals in the Marine Corps cases. ## Different Counts, Different Systems The Marine Corps count is limited to one offense and to contested cases that reached a verdict. The federal count includes every assault charged under section 113 and counts trials. Federal case data does not report partial acquittals separately. The 4 Marine Corps partial acquittals are a category that federal data does not show. A grand jury must indict a federal felony. A court-martial has no grand jury. The pre-trial screening is therefore different. ## What the Records Cannot Show With only 10 cases, a single verdict would move the percentages a great deal. The records do not show the reasons for a verdict, the evidence, or any sentence after a partial acquittal. They also cannot show whether federal prosecutors would have brought the same cases to trial. The 10 cases have trial dates from 2021 to 2025, while the federal figures cover fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. The periods do not match, and the federal data is reported by fiscal year, while the court-martial data is reported by trial date. ### How We Counted Marine Corps courts-martial charging aggravated assault (Article 128) with trial dates in 2016 to 2025 that were contested and reached a verdict (10). Federal: defendants charged under 18 U.S.C. 113 (assaults within federal jurisdiction) whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (5,508), Federal Judicial Center. Federal fiscal years run from October 1 to September 30\. No person, judge, or lawyer is identified in any of these records. ### What to Keep in Mind **Who is in each set of numbers.** The federal sentencing numbers come from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. They count only people who were convicted and sentenced in federal district court. People whose cases were dismissed or who were acquitted are not in them. The military numbers come from court-martial results, which include acquittals. To compare acquittal or dismissal rates, the federal side uses a different source: the Federal Judicial Center's case data, which counts every defendant whose case ended. **Different cases reach each system.** Federal prosecutors bring a narrow set of cases. In fiscal year 2024, immigration and drug trafficking cases were 59% of everyone sentenced in federal court (36,664 of 61,678). Many crimes that the military prosecutes, such as most assaults, most sexual assaults between adults, and drug use, are usually state crimes for civilians and reach federal court only in special situations, such as on federal land or in Indian Country. A federal case and a court-martial for the same crime can involve different kinds of facts. **Time periods.** Federal numbers are by federal fiscal year (October 1 to September 30), based on the sentencing date. The military numbers are by trial date. Neither source has the date of the offense, so a change in law shows up in either data set gradually. **Offense categories do not line up exactly.** Each comparison uses a federal offense group chosen to match the military article as closely as possible (see the crosswalk). Some matches are close; others are partial. The post says which federal guideline or statute was used and why it is not an exact match. **How "plea" and "trial" are counted.** In the federal sentencing numbers, "trial" means the person was convicted after a trial, including people who pleaded guilty to some counts and went to trial on others. People acquitted at trial are not in these numbers at all (see "Who is in each set of numbers"). In the federal case data, the trial rate counts both convictions and acquittals at trial among all defendants whose cases ended, including dismissed cases. Military numbers count contested cases that reached a verdict. These denominators are not the same, and each post states the one it uses. ## Related Analysis - [Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/military-sentencing-guidelines-federal-system/) (the background article) - [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) (all federal posts) - [How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-data-methodology/) (sources and method) - [Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-vs-article-128/) (overview) - [Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-army/) - [Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-navy/) - [Aggravated Assault Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-2023-sentencing-reform-so-far/) - [Aggravated Assault Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-acquittal-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [Guilty Pleas in Aggravated Assault Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-guilty-plea-rate-vs-courts-martial/) - [Aggravated Assault Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-aggravated-assault-junior-enlisted-vs-federal-court/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-trend-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [What Sentence Follows a Navy-Marine Corps Assault Conviction?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-sent-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-acq-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Assault Cases: How Often, and What Came Next](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-128-plea-2017-2025/) (court-martial data) - [Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-128-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [Article 128 UCMJ: Assault, Aggravated Assault, and Strangulation](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [Forum Selection](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/forum-selection/?ref=bodiesburied.com) (law firm reference page) - [U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles](https://www.ussc.gov/research/datafiles/commission-datafiles?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) - [Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants)](https://www.fjc.gov/research/idb?ref=bodiesburied.com) (source) **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.