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# A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg: 2024
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2024/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:12:37.000Z
- Description: Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 35% of Fort Bragg's 34 courts-martial in 2024, compared with 15% across the Army. More cases were contested than Army-wide: 38% compared with 27%.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Fort Bragg, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Fort Bragg](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-bragg/) › 2024

**Short answer:** Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 35% of Fort Bragg's 34 courts-martial in 2024, compared with 15% across the Army. More cases were contested than Army-wide: 38% compared with 27%. Of the 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal (46%), compared with 37% in the rest of the Army.

Based on 34 cases · 2024 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Article 120 Was Charged More Often

Every one of the 34 records lists charges, and each article counts once per case. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 12 cases, or 35%, compared with 15% Army-wide.

Only 5 of those 12 cases ended in a conviction on that article (42%), the lowest rate among the top charges. After a conviction, the median confinement was 2.5 years.

| Article                          | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 12                | 5 (42%)                 | 2.5 years                               |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence      | 9                 | 8 (8 of 9)              | 10 months                               |
| Art. 128 Assault                 | 8                 | 4 (4 of 8)              | 45 days                                 |
| Art. 134 General article         | 8                 | 5 (5 of 8)              | 8 months                                |

## More Contested Cases, More Full Acquittals

A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Fort Bragg, 13 cases were contested and 21 ended in guilty pleas, a contested share of 38% compared with 27% across the Army. Of the guilty pleas, 20 are recorded with a plea agreement and 1 has no entry. Army records note whether an agreement existed, not its terms.

Of the 13 contested cases with a verdict, 6 ended in a full acquittal and 7 ended in a partial acquittal, in which the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and convicted of another. That 46% full-acquittal rate is higher than the 37% in the rest of the Army.

## Compared With the Year Before

The number of cases was about the same: 33 in 2023 and 34 in 2024\. Full acquittals increased from 2 of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict to 6 of 13\. The contested share increased from 33% to 38%.

The enlisted punitive discharge share fell from 86% to 70%. The median confinement increased from 7 months to 8 months. The share of convictions with confinement increased from 77% to 82%. These groups are small, so a few cases can change the percentages.

|                                     | 2023     | 2024     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 33       | 34       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 33%      | 38%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 11  | 6 of 13  |
| Convictions with confinement        | 77%      | 82%      |
| Median confinement                  | 7 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 86%      | 70%      |
| General courts-martial              | 85%      | 79%      |

## More NCOs Than Junior Enlisted Members

NCOs (E-5 to E-9) outnumbered junior enlisted soldiers here: 17 compared with 11\. Another 6 accused were officers or warrant officers. Across the rest of the Army, 53% of the accused were junior enlisted.

Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer), a charge that applies only to officers, was charged in 12% of cases, compared with 2% Army-wide. Of 5 convicted officers or warrant officers, 4 were dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.

## Other Common Charges

Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 26% of cases. Article 128 (assault) and Article 134 (general article) were each charged in 24%. These shares were close to Army rates. Article 115 (communicating threats) was charged in 12%, compared with 4%.

Article 128b had the highest conviction rate among the top charges, 8 of 9, with a median of 10 months. Article 128 charges led to a conviction on that article in 4 of 8 cases, with a median of 45 days. Article 134 charges did so in 5 of 8, with a median of 8 months. The rows overlap, since a case can include both a conviction and an acquittal.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                   | Cases | Share here | Share, Army-wide |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----- | ---------- | ---------------- |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault        | 12    | 35%        | 15%              |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence         | 9     | 26%        | 23%              |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault               | 8     | 24%        | 23%              |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article       | 8     | 24%        | 21%              |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer                                                                                         | 4     | 12%        | 2%               |
| [Art. 115](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-115/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Communicating threats | 4     | 12%        | 4%               |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny               | 3     | 9%         | 7%               |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                | 3     | 9%         | 7%               |

## Panels Heard More Cases

The accused usually chooses whether a military judge alone or a panel of members decides guilt. A judge alone heard 24 cases, enlisted panels 6, and officer panels 1\. Members heard 23% of cases, compared with 15% across the Army. Because most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, this split tends to follow how many cases were contested.

## Confinement and Discharges

Of 28 convictions, 23 carried confinement. The median confinement was 8 months, longer than the Army's 6 months. A quarter of sentences were 2 years or longer. Sentences above one year were imposed in 7 of 28 convictions (25%), compared with 28%. These are adjudged sentences, set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover all charges in a case.

Of 23 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a punitive discharge: 9 bad-conduct and 7 dishonorable. The Army-wide share was 72%. General courts-martial made up 27 of the 34 cases (79%), compared with 72% across the Army. Only that level can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army as a whole |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 5           | 18%        | 13%                        |
| Under 6 months                  | 11          | 39%        | 43%                        |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 5           | 18%        | 15%                        |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5           | 18%        | 21%                        |
| 5 years or more                 | 2           | 7%         | 7%                         |

## Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Fort Carson

Joint Base Lewis-McChord tried 32 cases. Its contested share was 41%, and 5 of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Its median confinement was 9 months, and 84% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge. Fort Carson tried 30 cases with a contested share of 33%. It had 3 full acquittals in 10, a median of 4 months, and a 77% punitive discharge share.

| Installation             | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ------------------------ | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Fort Bragg               | 34    | 38%       | 6 of 13                             | 8 months           | 70%                           |
| Joint Base Lewis-McChord | 32    | 41%       | 5 of 13                             | 9 months           | 84%                           |
| Fort Carson              | 30    | 33%       | 3 of 10                             | 4 months           | 77%                           |

## What the Records Cannot Show

Recent changes to how covered offenses are prosecuted and how sentences are set depend on the offense date. These records do not give offense dates, so 2024 trials include cases under both the old and the new rules. The records also omit evidence, plea terms, and cases resolved without 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 Bragg with a trial date in 2024 (34 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 Bragg: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-bragg/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [What Fort Bragg Tried in 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2023/) (previous / next)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2025/) (previous / next)
- [What Was Tried at Fort Bragg, 2024–2026? 85 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-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/)
- [S1 H6: Shady Sh\*t Going Down at Fort Liberty](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s1h6-shady-sh-t-going-down-at-fort-liberty/) (podcast, members)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [What Fort Bragg Tried in 2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2023/)Next: [A Year of Courts-Martial at Fort Bragg: 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-courts-martial-2025/) →

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Bragg, 2024

- [Gregory B. Batdorff](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-gregory-b-batdorff/)
- [John H. Cook](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-john-h-cook/)
- [Tyler J. Heimann](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-tyler-j-heimann/)
- [Benjamin W. Hillner](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-benjamin-w-hillner/)
- [Pamela L. Jones](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-pamela-l-jones/)
- [Sasha N. Rutizer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-sasha-n-rutizer/)

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.