Fort McNair Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 14 Cases Show
Fort McNair had 14 courts-martial in the records from 2024 to 2026, and 13 of them were general courts-martial. Officers made up 36% of the accused. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 43% of cases, compared with 25% in the rest of the Army.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Fort McNair › 2024–2026
Short answer: Fort McNair had 14 courts-martial in the records from 2024 to 2026, and 13 of them were general courts-martial. Officers made up 36% of the accused. Article 128b (domestic violence) was charged in 43% of cases, compared with 25% in the rest of the Army.
Officers and General Courts-Martial
Officers were 36% of the accused at Fort McNair, the same share as junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4). NCOs (E-5 to E-9) were 29%. In the rest of the Army, junior enlisted members were 53% of the accused.
13 of the 14 cases were general courts-martial (93%), compared with 69% across the Army. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Charges
All 14 records list charges. Article 128b (domestic violence) appears in 6 cases (43%), compared with 25% Army-wide. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appears in 3 (21%), compared with 11%. Article 134, the general article, appears in 3 (21%), the same as the Army share.
Article 128 (assault) appears in 1 case (7%), lower than the 20% Army share. Article 107, Article 121, Article 131b, and Article 131e (prevention of authorized seizure of property) each appear in 1 case. A case counts once under each article it charges.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Army cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 6 | 43% | 25% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 21% | 11% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 21% | 21% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 7% | 5% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 1 | 7% | 7% |
| Art. 131e Prevention of authorized seizure of property | 1 | 7% | 0% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 7% | 20% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 1 | 7% | 5% |
Pleas and Panels
9 accused pleaded guilty and 5 contested at least one charge. The contested share was 36%, compared with 21% across the Army. Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal.
A military judge alone decided guilt in 9 of the 14 cases (64%). Members decided 5: 2 enlisted panels and 3 officer panels. The accused usually chooses between a judge alone and a panel.
Confinement and Discharges
Of 12 convictions, 10 included confinement. The median was 9 months, longer than the 6 months across the Army, and a quarter of the terms were 2.5 years or longer. 6 of 8 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
These are adjudged sentences, recorded at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers all the charges in its case. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Changes Since 2020 to 2023
Fort McNair had 21 cases in 2020 to 2023, about 5 a year, compared with about 6 a year since, counting full years only. The contested share went from 29% to 36%. The median confinement went from 1 year to 9 months.
General courts-martial went from 76% of cases to 93%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 80% to 6 of 8. These are small groups, so a few cases can move each figure.
| 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% |
Fort Leavenworth and Fort Sam Houston
Fort Leavenworth tried 20 cases and Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston tried 21 in these years. Fort Leavenworth had a median confinement of 1.2 years and a contested share of 35%. Fort Sam Houston had a median of 4 months and a contested share of 5%.
| 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% |
Dates, Rule Changes, and Limits
The trials ran from February 2024 to July 2026: 3 in 2024, 8 in 2025, and 3 so far in 2026. They are 1% of the 1,252 Army courts-martial in those years.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as domestic violence and sexual assault. Judges set the sentence when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they cannot show which rules applied, and they do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Fort McNair with a trial date in 2024–2026 (14 cases), compared with all 1,252 Army trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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 McNair: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Army Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Fort McNair Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 21 Cases Show (another period)
- Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 14 Cases Show (same years, similar size)
- Fort Gordon, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 12 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Camp Humphreys, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 69 Cases
- Fort Bliss, 2020–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 102 Cases
- Fort Bragg Courts-Martial, 2020–2023: What 143 Cases Show
- Fort Carson, 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 45 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Fort McNair, 2024–2026
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.