Inside 39 Courts-Martial at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2019–2023
JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey tried 39 Air Force courts-martial from February 2019 to December 2023, with 17 of them in 2023 alone. Of 15 decided contested cases, 11 ended in a full acquittal (73%), compared with 51% across the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 7 min read
Trends › By Installation › JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey › 2019–2023
Short answer: JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey tried 39 Air Force courts-martial from February 2019 to December 2023, with 17 of them in 2023 alone. Of 15 decided contested cases, 11 ended in a full acquittal (73%), compared with 51% across the Air Force. After a conviction, the median confinement was 6 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force.
Most Cases Came Late in the Period
There were 3 cases in 2019 and 1 in 2020. There were 9 in 2021, 9 in 2022, and 17 in 2023. Over the whole period, the installation had 3% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in the records.
In 2016–2018, the installation tried 13 cases, about 4 a year. In 2019–2023 it tried about 8 a year, counting full years only.
Pleas, Forum, and Full Acquittals
Of the 36 records listing a plea, 21 were guilty pleas and 15 were contested. The contested share was 42%, lower than the 50% for the Air Force as a whole.
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 15 contested cases that reached a verdict, 11 ended in a full acquittal and 2 in a partial acquittal (13%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. Air Force results record one verdict per case, so partial acquittals appear only when an appeals opinion reports them.
Members heard 14 of the 15 contested cases (93%). Across all cases, members heard 38%, the same as the rest of the Air Force. There were 10 enlisted panels and 5 officer panels, and a military judge alone decided 24 cases. The accused usually chooses the forum.
Almost Every Conviction Included Confinement
Confinement was part of 93% of the 28 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 1.5 years or longer.
Only 7% of convictions included no confinement, compared with 12% across the Air Force. 43% were under 6 months, compared with 50%. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 25%, compared with 15%. 7 of 28 convictions (25%) included more than one year, about the same as the 23% across the Air Force.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 2 | 7% | 12% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 43% | 50% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 25% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 21% | 17% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 6% |
General Versus Special Courts-Martial
The installation had 21 general and 18 special courts-martial. General courts-martial were 54% of cases. Every conviction at a general court-martial included confinement (100%), and the median was 1.7 years. At special courts-martial, 88% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 2 months.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Punitive Discharges: Half Bad-Conduct, Half Dishonorable
14 of 28 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (50%), lower than the 56% across the Air Force. Of those 14, 7 were bad-conduct and 7 were dishonorable discharges. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
How the Two Periods Compare
Compared with 2016–2018, the later period had more confinement and longer sentences. Convictions with confinement went from 45% to 93%. The median confinement went from 4 months to 6 months. General courts-martial went from 31% to 54% of cases. The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019, at the start of the later period, but the records cannot show whether it had any role. With 13 earlier cases, the comparison shows direction only.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 13 | 39 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 42% |
| Convictions with confinement | 45% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 3 of 9 | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 31% | 54% |
Charges and Rank
Charge lists cover 28 of the 39 cases. Article 128 (assault), Article 134 (the general article), and Article 112a (drug) were each charged in 6 cases. Drug charges were less common than across the Air Force: 21% compared with 41%. Article 113, which covered misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019 and drunken or reckless driving since, was charged in 5 cases, or 18%, compared with 4% across the Air Force. Article 87a (resistance, flight, or breach of arrest) was charged in 3 cases, or 11%, compared with 1% across the Air Force.
The accused were 29 junior enlisted members, 9 NCOs, and 1 officer. This group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Air Force as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 21% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 21% | 21% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 21% | 41% |
| Art. 113 Misbehavior of a sentinel before 2019, drunken or reckless driving since | 5 | 18% | 4% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 14% | 11% |
| Art. 87a Resistance, flight, breach of arrest | 3 | 11% | 1% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 11% | 16% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 2 | 7% | 5% |
Compared With Minot and Ramstein
Minot AFB, North Dakota (39 cases) and Ramstein AB, Germany (38) were similar in size. At Minot, 48% of cases were contested, 11 of 16 decided contested cases ended in a full acquittal, and the median confinement was 8 months. At Ramstein, the figures were 61%, 9 of 19, and 5 months. Punitive discharge rates for enlisted convictions were 68% at Minot and 43% at Ramstein, compared with 50% here.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey | 39 | 42% | 11 of 15 | 6 months | 50% |
| Minot AFB, North Dakota | 39 | 48% | 11 of 16 | 8 months | 68% |
| Ramstein AB, Germany | 38 | 61% | 9 of 19 | 5 months | 43% |
What the Records Do Not Show
These are trial records only. They do not list offense dates, describe evidence, or report plea agreements, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. Air Force records also rarely list charges in full acquittals.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey with a trial date in 2019–2023 (39 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force 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
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show (another period)
- Inside 14 Courts-Martial at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2024–2026 (another period)
- What Was Tried at Minot AFB, North Dakota, 2019–2023? 39 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Ramstein AB, Germany, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 38 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, 2019–2023
- Christopher D. James
- Diana L. Johnson
- Brian C. Mason
- Matthew N. McCall
- Mark W. Milam
- Tyler B. Musselman
- Andrew R. Norton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Julie L. Pitvorec
- Joshua D. Rosen
- Michael A. Schrama
- Shaun S. Speranza
- Brian Michael Thompson
- Charles G. Warren
- Pilar G. Wennrich
- Charles E. Wiedie Jr.
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.