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# Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2020: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-vs-court-martial-acquittal-rates-2020/
- Published: 2026-11-03T01:38:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:38:57.000Z
- Description: Courts-martial with a 2020 trial date had the highest full-acquittal rate in this data series: 81 of 167 contested cases (49%). Federal trials in fiscal year 2020 ended in an acquittal in 199 of 1,425 cases (14%). Army records begin this year, with a single case.
- 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 in 2020

**In brief:** Courts-martial with a 2020 trial date had the highest full-acquittal rate in this data series: 81 of 167 contested cases (49%). Federal trials in fiscal year 2020 ended in an acquittal in 199 of 1,425 cases (14%). Army records begin this year, with a single case.

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 71,485 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal year 2020, 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 Highest Court-Martial Rate in the Series

The records list 167 contested courts-martial from 2020 that reached a verdict. Full acquittals numbered 81 (49%), and partial acquittals numbered 23 (14%). No other year in the table has a court-martial rate as high as 49%.

A contested case involves a not-guilty or mixed plea. The records do not explain the higher 2020 rate.

## Service Counts in 2020

The Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps all have records this year. The Army has 1 case, which ended in a full acquittal (1 of 1). The Air Force had 62 full acquittals in 107 cases. The Navy had 18 in 53\. The Marine Corps had 0 in 6.

The Air Force has the largest count, so the overall court-martial rate depends heavily on one service. The single Army case adds no information about an Army rate.

The Navy result of 18 in 53 is lower than the combined figure, and the Air Force result of 62 in 107 is higher. The Marine Corps result of 0 in 6 is too small to compare.

## Forum Results

Members decided 87 cases and acquitted fully in 53 (61%). Enlisted members acquitted fully in 36 of 53 cases (68%). Officer members acquitted fully in 17 of 34 (50%).

A judge alone decided 47 cases, with 15 full acquittals (32%). Another 33 cases list no forum, and 13 of them ended in a full acquittal (39%).

## Federal Results in Fiscal Year 2020

The Federal Judicial Center counted 71,485 defendants. Pleas of guilty came to 64,887 (91%). Dismissals came to 5,173 (7%), and trials to 1,425 (2%).

Jury trials numbered 1,218 and had 124 acquittals (10%). Bench trials numbered 207 and had 75 acquittals (36%). Convictions totaled 66,113 (92%).

## Comparing Unlike Groups

The federal denominator is trials, and the court-martial denominator is contested cases. Court-martial years follow trial dates, and federal fiscal years end September 30.

Federal felonies need a grand jury indictment. Courts-martial have no grand jury.

Federal bench trials ended in an acquittal at a higher rate (36%) than jury trials (10%) in 2020\. Members and judge-alone court-martial cases show the reverse, with members at 61% and a judge alone at 32%.

## Full Series

The table shows 2020 in context with the years before and after it.

| Year | Courts-martial: full acquittals | Federal trials: acquittals |
| ---- | ------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| 2016 | 71 of 179 (40%)                 | 291 of 1,853 (16%)         |
| 2017 | 87 of 217 (40%)                 | 276 of 1,874 (15%)         |
| 2018 | 90 of 239 (38%)                 | 320 of 1,879 (17%)         |
| 2019 | 90 of 210 (43%)                 | 287 of 1,950 (15%)         |
| 2020 | 81 of 167 (49%)                 | 199 of 1,425 (14%)         |
| 2021 | 166 of 459 (36%)                | 196 of 1,081 (18%)         |
| 2022 | 144 of 411 (35%)                | 290 of 1,669 (17%)         |
| 2023 | 146 of 362 (40%)                | 263 of 1,840 (14%)         |
| 2024 | 123 of 340 (36%)                | 220 of 1,723 (13%)         |
| 2025 | 106 of 286 (37%)                | 192 of 1,555 (12%)         |

## What the Records Do Not Say

The records cannot show what changed in 2020, and they should not be read as showing a cause. Counts for individual services and forums are small enough that a few cases would change the percentages.

The federal figures in the same year should not be read as a reaction to the court-martial figures, since the systems operate independently. The comparison only places the counts next to each other.

### How We Counted

Courts-martial: contested cases with a verdict and a trial date in 2020 (167). Federal: defendants whose cases ended in fiscal year 2020 (71,485; 1,425 trials), 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.

**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)
- [Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2019: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-vs-court-martial-acquittal-rates-2019/) (previous or next year)
- [Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2021: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-vs-court-martial-acquittal-rates-2021/) (previous or next year)
- [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.