Fort Lee Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Of the 27 courts-martial at Fort Lee in 2024–2026, 24 were guilty pleas, and the contested share went from 41% in 2020–2023 to 11%. Only 12 of 22 convictions included confinement, and the median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months across the Army.
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Trends › By Installation › Fort Lee › Before and after 2024
Short answer: Of the 27 courts-martial at Fort Lee in 2024–2026, 24 were guilty pleas, and the contested share went from 41% in 2020–2023 to 11%. Only 12 of 22 convictions included confinement, and the median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months across the Army. Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 2 of 22 convictions (9%), compared with 30% Army-wide.
Guilty Pleas in 24 of 27 Cases
Every Fort Lee record from 2024 to 2026 lists a plea. There were 24 guilty pleas and 3 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share was 11%, lower than the 41% at Fort Lee in 2020–2023 and lower than the 21% across the Army.
Army records say whether a guilty plea came with a plea agreement, but not what the agreement said. Of the 24 guilty pleas, 22 are recorded with an agreement and 2 have no entry. All 3 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (3 of 3).
Many Convictions Without Confinement
There were 22 convictions, and 12 of them included confinement (55%). In 2020–2023, 90% of convictions at Fort Lee included confinement. No confinement was adjudged in 10 convictions (45%), compared with 15% across the Army.
The median confinement was 3 months in both periods. Army-wide it was 6 months. A quarter of the terms with confinement were 7 months or longer. Confinement under 6 months made up 7 convictions (32%), and 6 months to 1 year made up 3 (14%).
Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 2 of 22 convictions (9%), compared with 30% across the Army. None was 5 years or more. All are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Army as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 45% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 32% | 39% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 14% | 17% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 9% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 9% |
Punitive Discharges About the Same as Before
Of 18 convicted enlisted members, 11 received a punitive discharge: 9 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The share was 61%, about the same as the 60% in 2020–2023 and lower than the 73% across the Army.
4 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in the records, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence with no punitive discharge does not prevent a later administrative separation.
| 2020–2023 | 2024–2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 17 | 27 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 41% | 11% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 4 of 6 | 3 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 55% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 60% | 61% |
| General courts-martial | 71% | 74% |
A Senior Group of Accused
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 12 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 5 officers or warrant officers. Across the Army, 53% of the accused were junior enlisted, so the Fort Lee group was more senior.
General courts-martial heard 20 of the 27 cases (74%), compared with 71% at Fort Lee in 2020–2023 and 69% in the rest of the Army. A general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge and more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial cannot.
Assault and Domestic Violence Charges
Charges are listed for 25 of the 27 cases. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 6 (24%), compared with 20% across the Army. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 5 (20%), lower than the 25% Army-wide.
Article 134 (the general article), Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), Article 121 (larceny), and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 3 cases (12%). Article 92 and Article 120 each appeared in 2. Each article counts once per case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Army docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 24% | 20% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 5 | 20% | 25% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 12% | 21% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 12% | 8% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 12% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 12% | 5% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 8% | 10% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 2 | 8% | 11% |
Most Cases Decided by a Military Judge
A military judge alone decided guilt in 24 of 27 cases (89%). Members decided 3: 2 enlisted panels and 1 officer panel. The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or members decide guilt.
A Rise in Yearly Cases
The records show 3 cases in 2024, 12 in 2025, and 12 in 2026 through September, a partial year. Fort Lee had 17 cases in 2020–2023. Counting full years only, that is about 4 a year earlier and about 8 a year since. Small groups can shift by large percentages with a few cases.
Fort Polk and Fort Wainwright each tried 25 cases in the same years. Fort Polk had a similar contested share, 12%, and a longer median confinement of 6 months. Fort Wainwright had a 24% contested share and a 4 months median.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lee | 27 | 11% | 3 of 3 | 3 months | 61% |
| Fort Polk | 25 | 12% | 0 of 3 | 6 months | 64% |
| Fort Wainwright | 25 | 24% | 3 of 6 | 4 months | 59% |
Law Changes From Late 2023
Covered offenses, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, have gone to special trial counsel for the decision to prosecute since December 28, 2023. Commanders decided before that date. New sentencing parameters, applied by the military judge, govern cases where every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023.
The records carry trial dates only. They cannot show which cases were tried under the old rules and which under the new ones.
What Is Not in the Records
The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Offense dates are missing, and misconduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation is not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Fort Lee in 2020–2023 (17) and 2024–2026 (27).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Fort Lee: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Fort Lee, 2024–2026? 27 Courts-Martial
- Inside 17 Courts-Martial at Fort Lee, 2020–2023
- Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Benning, 2021–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Bliss, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Bragg, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Fort Campbell Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort Lee, 2024–2026
- Gregory B. Batdorff
- Tyler J. Heimann
- Pamela L. Jones
- Adam S. Kazin
- Sean S. Park
- William C. Ramsey
- Tyesha L. Smith
- Carrie L. Ward
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 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.