> ## 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. # Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2016–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rate-vs-marine-corps-courts-martial/ - Published: 2026-11-03T01:38:54.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:38:54.000Z - Description: Marine Corps courts-martial acquitted fully in 38 of 290 contested cases with a verdict (13%) from 2016 to 2025. Another 79 cases (27%) were partial acquittals. Federal trials ended in an acquittal in 2,534 of 16,849 cases (15%), so the Marine Corps full-acquittal rate was lower than the federal rat - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Federal [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Federal Prosecution Analysis](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal/) › [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Fede](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/) › Acquittals: Marine Corps **In brief:** Marine Corps courts-martial acquitted fully in 38 of 290 contested cases with a verdict (13%) from 2016 to 2025\. Another 79 cases (27%) were partial acquittals. Federal trials ended in an acquittal in 2,534 of 16,849 cases (15%), so the Marine Corps full-acquittal rate was lower than the federal rate over the whole span. 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 753,808 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/). ## The Marine Corps Result Is Lower Than the Federal Rate The Marine Corps records list 290 contested courts-martial with a verdict. A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Full acquittals numbered 38 (13%). Partial acquittals were more common, at 79 cases (27%). A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another. ## Forum Results in Marine Corps Cases A judge alone decided 188 cases, with 16 full acquittals (9%). Members decided 34 cases, with 11 full acquittals (32%). Enlisted members heard 31 of those cases and acquitted fully in 10 (32%). Officer members heard 3 cases and acquitted fully in 1 (1 of 3). A further 68 cases have no forum listed, with 11 full acquittals (16%). The number of cases decided by members is small. Their rates may change a lot with a few cases. ## Rates Changed a Great Deal by Year The yearly table shows that the overall rate hides a change. From 2016 to 2021, the Marine Corps records show no full acquittals, and no records at all for 2019\. The 2021 row shows 0 of 56 (0%). The rate was 2% in 2022 (1 of 45) and 5% in 2023 (2 of 38). It was 19% in 2024 (12 of 62) and 31% in 2025 (23 of 75). The 2024 and 2025 rates are above the federal trial rate of 13% and 12% in those years. The 2016 to 2020 rows hold 1 to 6 cases each, so they do not support a rate. The records cannot show why the yearly counts differ. | Year | Marine Corps: full acquittals of contested cases | Federal: acquittals of trials | | ---- | ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------- | | 2016 | 0 of 2 (0 of 2) | 291 of 1,853 (16%) | | 2017 | 0 of 1 (0 of 1) | 276 of 1,874 (15%) | | 2018 | 0 of 5 (0 of 5) | 320 of 1,879 (17%) | | 2019 | no records | 287 of 1,950 (15%) | | 2020 | 0 of 6 (0 of 6) | 199 of 1,425 (14%) | | 2021 | 0 of 56 (0%) | 196 of 1,081 (18%) | | 2022 | 1 of 45 (2%) | 290 of 1,669 (17%) | | 2023 | 2 of 38 (5%) | 263 of 1,840 (14%) | | 2024 | 12 of 62 (19%) | 220 of 1,723 (13%) | | 2025 | 23 of 75 (31%) | 192 of 1,555 (12%) | ## Federal Results for Comparison The Federal Judicial Center counted 753,808 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025\. Of them, 678,652 (90%) pleaded guilty and 58,307 (8%) had their cases dismissed. Trials numbered 16,849 (2%). Jury trials numbered 14,615, with 1,838 acquittals (13%). Bench trials numbered 2,234, with 696 acquittals (31%). In total, 692,967 defendants (92%) were convicted. ## What Makes These Measures Different? The federal rate divides acquittals by trials. The Marine Corps rate divides full acquittals by contested cases, which can include mixed pleas. Federal data does not report partial acquittals separately. A federal felony requires a grand jury indictment. A court-martial has no grand jury, and the conclusions of an Article 32 hearing officer are recommendations. ## What Cannot Be Told From These Records The records do not give reasons for any acquittal. They do not show how Marine Corps charging decisions changed over the years. The comparison reports counts, and it cannot say which system is more likely to acquit for the same conduct. ### How We Counted Marine Corps: contested courts-martial (not-guilty or mixed plea) with a verdict and a trial date in 2016 to 2025 (290). Federal: every defendant whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (753,808; 16,849 trials), Federal Judicial Center, counted as in Table D-4. 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. **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. **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. ## 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) - [Are Courts-Martial More Likely to End in Acquittal Than Federal Trials?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rates-vs-courts-martial/) (overview) - [Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rate-vs-army-courts-martial/) - [Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rate-vs-air-force-courts-martial/) - [Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-trial-acquittal-rate-vs-navy-courts-martial/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (court-martial data) - [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.