Obstruction of Justice Sentences in 2025: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
The longest obstruction of justice sentences in 2025 were at court-martial: a quarter of the 37 convictions carried confinement of 63.5 months or more, compared with 41 months or more for federal prison terms in fiscal year 2025. The medians were closer, at 16 months for courts-martial and 18 months
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In brief: The longest obstruction of justice sentences in 2025 were at court-martial: a quarter of the 37 convictions carried confinement of 63.5 months or more, compared with 41 months or more for federal prison terms in fiscal year 2025. The medians were closer, at 16 months for courts-martial and 18 months for the 114 people sentenced federally under guideline §2J1.2. Both groups showed confinement or prison in 73% of cases.
This post uses the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of 114 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2025, compared with court-martial results from this site's Military Trial Results data (updated November 2, 2026). Acquittals and dismissals come from a second source, the Federal Judicial Center's records of 753,808 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. It is part of the Federal Prosecution Analysis series, which builds on Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System. How the numbers were built: How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built.
The Upper End of the Sentences
The quarter mark describes the longer sentences in each group. At court-martial in 2025, a quarter of sentences were 63.5 months or more. Among federal defendants sent to prison, a quarter received 41 months or more.
Contested court-martial cases ending in conviction had a median confinement of 72 months, based on 8 cases with confinement. Guilty pleas at court-martial had a median of 12 months (19 cases with confinement). The contested group is small, so its median can move with a few cases.
Medians and Rates of Confinement
Confinement was part of 27 of 37 court-martial sentences (73%), and the median was 16 months. In federal court, 83 of 114 people (73%) received a prison term and 23 (20%) received probation only. The federal median prison term was 18 months, and a quarter received 6 months or less.
Court-martial confinement here is as adjudged at trial, before clemency or appeal. Federal prison terms are as imposed, not time served.
| Courts-martial, 2025 | Federal court, FY2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Convictions or people sentenced | 37 | 114 |
| Sentenced to confinement or prison | 73% | 73% |
| Median confinement or prison | 16 months | 18 months |
| A quarter received this or more | 63.5 months | 41 months |
| Pleaded guilty | 23 of 37 with a plea recorded (62%) | 85% |
| Mandatory minimum applied | See the caveats | 2 of 114 with the information (2%) |
Who Was Convicted and Where
The 37 convictions for obstruction of justice (Article 131b) came from the Army (15), the Air Force (1), the Navy (12), and the Marine Corps (9). General courts-martial handled 24 of them (65%).
Officers convicted numbered 4, and 3 were dismissed. Of the 31 enlisted members convicted, 20 (65%) received a punitive discharge: 11 dishonorable and 9 bad-conduct discharges.
How Cases Were Resolved
Of 37 court-martial convictions with a plea recorded, 23 (62%) were guilty pleas. In federal court, 97 of 114 (85%) pleaded guilty, and 17 were convicted after a trial.
Federal guilty pleas were followed by a median prison term of 15 months. Trials were followed by a median of 21 months, based on 16 people sent to prison. Written plea agreements were part of 88% of federal guilty pleas, and 12% were straight pleas with no agreement.
The Federal Guideline Range in Fiscal Year 2025
Within-range sentences were the largest group, at 42% (48). Below-range sentences without a government request were 31% (35), and those at the government's request were 21% (24). Above-range sentences were 6% (7).
A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 2 people (2%). Supervised release was ordered for 81 (71%), with a median of 36 months. A fine was ordered for 30 (26%) and restitution for 24 (21%). In criminal history, 69% were in category I and 4% in category VI. Military records do not carry this field.
Calendar Year Versus Fiscal Year
Court-martial counts are by trial date in calendar year 2025. Federal fiscal year 2025 ran from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. One side counts convictions under Article 131b, and the other counts people sentenced under a sentencing guideline.
Across 2016 to 2025, the data holds 329 court-martial convictions with median confinement of 10 months and 1,256 federal sentences with a median prison term of 18 months.
| Fiscal year | People sentenced | Median prison | Pleaded guilty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 131 | 15 months | 82% |
| 2017 | 130 | 14 months | 92% |
| 2018 | 136 | 18 months | 88% |
| 2019 | 131 | 12 months | 86% |
| 2020 | 107 | 12 months | 91% |
| 2021 | 85 | 18.3 months | 86% |
| 2022 | 111 | 21 months | 88% |
| 2023 | 163 | 24 months | 55% |
| 2024 | 148 | 27 months | 80% |
| 2025 | 114 | 18 months | 85% |
Questions the Records Cannot Answer
The data does not show what other charges came with each obstruction conviction. It cannot show the facts of any case or whether a sentence was reduced later. With 37 court-martial convictions, a single year is not a trend.
How We Counted
Courts-martial with a trial date in 2025 ending in a conviction for obstruction of justice (Article 131b) (37). Federal: people sentenced in fiscal year 2025 under guideline §2J1.2 (obstruction of justice) (114), U.S. Sentencing Commission.
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.
No parole in federal prison; credit for good conduct. Federal prison has no parole for crimes committed on or after November 1, 1987. A federal prisoner can earn up to 54 days of good conduct credit for each year of the sentence the judge imposed, which is about 15%. Some federal prisoners can also earn First Step Act time credits, but many offenses make a person ineligible. The numbers in this post are the sentences judges imposed, not the time people actually served.
Military confinement credit and parole. For military sentences adjudged after 2004, good conduct time is 5 days for each month of confinement, about 16%. Military prisoners can also earn up to 8 more days a month for work and programs and up to 2 days a month for special acts, with a limit of 15 days a month in total. Military prisoners can be considered for parole by their service's clemency and parole board. The military numbers in this post are the confinement adjudged at trial, not the time served.
Military sentences include punishments federal sentences do not. A court-martial sentence can include a punitive discharge (bad-conduct discharge, dishonorable discharge, or dismissal for officers), reduction in rank, and forfeiture of pay. These have no federal counterpart. A comparison of months of confinement leaves them out. A short confinement term combined with a dishonorable discharge is a heavier sentence than the months alone show.
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.
Related Analysis
- Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System (the background article)
- Federal Prosecution Analysis (all federal posts)
- How the Federal Comparison Data Was Built (sources and method)
- Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences (overview)
- Obstruction of Justice Sentences in 2024: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial (previous or next year)
- Obstruction of Justice Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far
- Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial
- Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
- Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
- Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas
- How Has Article 131b Changed in Army Courts-Martial Since 2021? (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 131b Conviction in the Army? (court-martial data)
- How Often Are Contested Army Article 131b Cases Acquitted? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 131b in the Army: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Air Force Article 131b Cases by the Numbers, 2016–2025 (court-martial data)
- What Sentence Follows an Air Force Obstruction Conviction? (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 131b in the Air Force: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 131b, 2017–2025 (court-martial data)
- How Much Confinement for an Article 131b Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps? (court-martial data)
- Not Guilty Pleas in Navy-Marine Corps Article 131b Cases: What Happened at Trial (court-martial data)
- Pleading Guilty to Article 131b in the Navy-Marine Corps: What Sentences Followed? (court-martial data)
- Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends (court-martial data)
- Article 131b UCMJ: Obstructing Justice (law firm reference page)
- U.S. Sentencing Commission, Individual Offender Datafiles (source)
- Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (criminal defendants) (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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.