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# What Changed at Fort McNair After 2024? 21 Cases vs. 14
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-mcnair-before-after-2024/
- Published: 2026-10-30T08:06:28.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:06:28.000Z
- Description: Fort McNair tried 14 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and 13 were general courts-martial (93%). Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 43% of cases, compared with 25% across the Army.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Fort McNair, Army

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Fort McNair](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-mcnair/) › Before and after 2024

**Short answer:** Fort McNair tried 14 courts-martial in 2024–2026, and 13 were general courts-martial (93%). Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 43% of cases, compared with 25% across the Army. The median confinement was 9 months, down from 1 year in 2020–2023 and longer than the 6 months Army-wide.

Based on 14 cases · 2024–2026 · Army records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Officers Among the Accused

By rank, the accused were 5 junior enlisted members, 4 NCOs, and 5 officers. That group was more senior than the Army as a whole. For officers, the punitive separation a court-martial can adjudge is a dismissal, the counterpart to a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members.

Nearly every case went to the highest trial level. General courts-martial heard 13 of the 14 cases (93%), compared with 76% at Fort McNair in 2020–2023 and 69% in the rest of the Army. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

## Domestic Violence Was the Most Common Charge

All 14 records list the charges. Article 128b, the domestic violence article, appeared in 6 cases (43%), compared with 25% Army-wide.

Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) and Article 134 (the general article) each appeared in 3 cases (21%). The Article 120 share was higher than the 11% Army-wide, and the Article 134 share was the same as the Army's 21%.

Article 107 (false official statements), Article 121 (larceny), Article 131e (prevention of authorized seizure of property), Article 128 (assault), and Article 131b (obstructing justice) each appeared in 1 case (7%). The Article 128 share was lower than the 20% across the Army. A case with several articles counts under each.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, Army-wide |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ---------------- |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence             | 6     | 43%        | 25%              |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault            | 3     | 21%        | 11%              |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article           | 3     | 21%        | 21%              |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 1     | 7%         | 5%               |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                   | 1     | 7%         | 7%               |
| Art. 131e Prevention of authorized seizure of property                                                                             | 1     | 7%         | 0%               |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                   | 1     | 7%         | 20%              |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice                                                                                                      | 1     | 7%         | 5%               |

## Sentences After Conviction

Of the 12 convictions, 83% included confinement, compared with 88% in 2020–2023\. The median term was 9 months. It was 1 year at Fort McNair in 2020–2023, and the Army median in 2024–2026 was 6 months.

A quarter of the terms with confinement were 2.5 years or longer. These figures are the adjudged sentence, the one announced at trial. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal can lower it, and each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Of 8 convicted enlisted members, 6 received a punitive discharge, meaning a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. In 2020–2023 the share was 80%. Without a punitive discharge, an administrative separation is still possible.

|                                     | 2020–2023 | 2024–2026 |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                               | 21        | 14        |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 29%       | 36%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 4    | 2 of 5    |
| Convictions with confinement        | 88%       | 83%       |
| Median confinement                  | 1 year    | 9 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 80%       | 6 of 8    |
| General courts-martial              | 76%       | 93%       |

## More Contested Cases Than Army-Wide

There were 9 guilty pleas and 5 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A contested case is one with a plea of not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 36%, compared with 29% in 2020–2023 and 21% across the Army.

Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 of 5 ended in a full acquittal, a finding of not guilty on every charge. In 2020–2023 the count was 1 of 4.

## Panels Heard 5 Cases

A military judge alone decided guilt in 9 of 14 cases (64%). Members decided 5: 2 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. The accused usually chooses whether guilt is decided by a judge alone or by members.

## Cases per Year

Trials ran from February 2024 through July 2026: 3 in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 3 in 2026, a partial year. In 2020–2023, Fort McNair had 21 cases. Counting full years only, that is about 5 a year earlier and about 6 a year since. A difference of a few cases can move small-group percentages a long way.

## Similar Installations

Fort Leavenworth tried 20 cases in these years, and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston tried 21\. Fort Leavenworth had a contested share of 35%, about the same as Fort McNair, and a median confinement of 1.2 years. Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston had a contested share of 5% and a 4 months median. Their punitive discharge rates were 81% and 41%.

| Installation                            | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| --------------------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Fort McNair                             | 14    | 36%       | 2 of 5                              | 9 months           | 6 of 8                        |
| Fort Leavenworth                        | 20    | 35%       | 1 of 7                              | 1.2 years          | 81%                           |
| Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston | 21    | 5%        | 0 of 1                              | 4 months           | 41%                           |

## Rule Changes Since December 2023

For covered offenses, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and murder, special trial counsel instead of commanders have decided whether to prosecute since December 28, 2023\. When all guilty findings in a case concern offenses after December 27, 2023, the military judge imposes the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Which rules applied depends on the offense date. These records give only the trial date, so they cannot show which cases fall on each side of the change.

## Outside the Records

Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not counted. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms.

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 McNair in 2020–2023 (21) and 2024–2026 (14).

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 McNair: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-fort-mcnair/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Fort McNair Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 21 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-mcnair-courts-martial-2020-2023/)
- [Fort McNair Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 14 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-mcnair-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-humphreys-before-after-2024/)
- [Fort Benning, 2021–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-benning-before-after-2024/)
- [Fort Bliss, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bliss-before-after-2024/)
- [Fort Bragg, 2020–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-bragg-before-after-2024/)
- [Fort Campbell Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/fort-campbell-before-after-2024/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort McNair, 2024–2026

- [James A. Ewing](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-james-a-ewing/)
- [Pamela L. Jones](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-pamela-l-jones/)
- [Adam S. Kazin](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-adam-s-kazin/)
- [Carrie L. Ward](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-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](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.