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# A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss: 2025
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-courts-martial-2025/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:12:33.000Z
- Description: Fort Bliss tried 27 courts-martial in 2025, and only 2 were contested (7%), compared with 20% in the rest of the Army. Confinement was part of 64% of convictions, with a median of 9 months.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Fort Bliss, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Fort Bliss](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-bliss/) › 2025

**Short answer:** Fort Bliss tried 27 courts-martial in 2025, and only 2 were contested (7%), compared with 20% in the rest of the Army. Confinement was part of 64% of convictions, with a median of 9 months. 62% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, lower than the 73% across all Army cases.

Based on 27 cases · 2025 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Almost No Contested Cases

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 27 cases at Fort Bliss in 2025, 25 ended in guilty pleas and 2 were contested, a share of 7%. Across the Army, it was 20%.

Neither contested case ended in a full acquittal (0 of 2). Of the 25 guilty pleas, 22 are recorded with a plea agreement and 3 have no entry. Army records show only whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

## Fewer Cases and Fewer Contested Cases Than in 2024

The number of cases fell from 40 in 2024 to 27 in 2025\. The contested share was low in both years: 12% in 2024 and 7% in 2025.

Sentence figures changed in different directions. The median confinement rose from 5 months to 9 months. Convictions that included confinement fell from 82% to 64%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 68% to 62%. General courts-martial fell from 67% of cases to 59%. With so few cases, a few results can change these figures.

|                                     | 2024     | 2025     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 40       | 27       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 12%      | 7%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 5   | 0 of 2   |
| Convictions with confinement        | 82%      | 64%      |
| Median confinement                  | 5 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 68%      | 62%      |
| General courts-martial              | 67%      | 59%      |

## More Convictions Without Confinement

All 25 cases with a verdict ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 16 of those sentences included confinement. 9 convictions, or 36%, included no confinement, compared with 19% across all Army cases.

For sentences that included confinement, the median was 9 months, about the same as the Army's 8 months. A quarter of terms were 3 years or longer. Terms longer than one year were part of 5 of 25 convictions (20%), compared with 30% across the Army. No sentence was 5 years or more. Across the Army, 11% of convictions were in that range.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the whole Army docket |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 9           | 36%        | 19%                          |
| Under 6 months                  | 8           | 32%        | 36%                          |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 3           | 12%        | 15%                          |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5           | 20%        | 18%                          |
| 5 years or more                 | 0           | 0%         | 11%                          |

## How Sentences Are Counted

Each figure is the sentence adjudged at trial. It is set before any plea-agreement limit, clemency, or appeal. It covers every charge in the case together, so it cannot be tied to a single offense. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement.

## General and Special Courts-Martial

A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. General courts-martial made up 59% of cases (16 of 27). Their median confinement was 1 year, and 6% were contested.

The other 11 were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot adjudge a dishonorable discharge. Their median confinement was 4 months, and 9% were contested.

## Drug and Conspiracy Charges Were More Common

Charges are listed for 25 cases, and an article is counted once per case. Article 134, the general article, was the most common charge at 20%, about the same as the 22% in all Army cases that year.

Drug and conspiracy charges were much more common than across the Army. Drug offenses under Article 112a and conspiracy under Article 81 were each charged in 4 cases (16%), compared with 3% and 2% across the Army. Domestic violence under Article 128b was less common: 12% compared with 26%. Assault under Article 128 was also less common: 12% compared with 19%. These counts are small, so a single case changes each share noticeably.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------ |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 5     | 20%        | 22%                                  |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4     | 16%        | 3%                                   |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy                                                                                                                                 | 4     | 16%        | 2%                                   |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 3     | 12%        | 19%                                  |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                             | 3     | 12%        | 26%                                  |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 2     | 8%         | 6%                                   |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 2     | 8%         | 3%                                   |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice                                                                                                                      | 2     | 8%         | 4%                                   |

## Discharges, Rank, and Forum

Of 24 convicted enlisted members, 15 received a punitive discharge: 8 bad-conduct discharges and 7 dishonorable discharges. The records include 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

The accused were 17 junior enlisted soldiers, 9 NCOs, and 1 officer. This group was more junior than all Army cases that year. The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. Members heard 11% of cases, all 3 on enlisted panels, and a judge alone heard the other 24.

## Compared With Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Bragg

Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 28 cases. 11% were contested, 1 of 3 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, the median confinement was 1 year, and the punitive discharge rate was 70%. Fort Bragg tried 29 cases. 28% were contested, 4 of 8 contested cases ended in a full acquittal, the median confinement was 8 months, and the punitive discharge rate was also 70%.

| Installation             | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Fort Bliss               | 27    | 7%        | 0 of 2                              | 9 months           | 62%                           |
| Joint Base Lewis-McChord | 28    | 11%       | 1 of 3                              | 1 year             | 70%                           |
| Fort Bragg               | 29    | 28%       | 4 of 8                              | 8 months           | 70%                           |

## What the Data Cannot Show

Recent changes to military justice rules depend on the date of the offense, which these records do not give. As a result, trials from 2024 onward include cases under both the old and new rules. The records also do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and they do not include conduct handled outside a court-martial.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at Fort Bliss with a trial date in 2025 (27 cases).

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Fort Bliss: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-bliss/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-courts-martial-2024/) (previous / next)
- [What Was Tried at Fort Bliss, 2024–2026? 84 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (the whole period)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-courts-martial-2024/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Camp Humphreys: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-courts-martial-2025/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2022/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2023/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Benning: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-courts-martial-2025/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss: 2024](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-courts-martial-2024/)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Bliss, 2025

- [Michael C. Friess](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michael-c-friess/)
- [Rick B. Mathew](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-rick-b-mathew/)
- [David A. Thompson](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-david-a-thompson/)
- [Joseph K. Venghaus](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-joseph-k-venghaus/)

Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the [Court-Martial Characters](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) membership.

**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.