What Changed at JBSA - Lackland, Texas After 2019? 19 Cases vs. 25
JBSA - Lackland, Texas had 25 courts-martial in 2019–2023. Of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict, 8 ended in a full acquittal (80%), compared with 51% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 4 months, down from 1.6 years in 2016–2018, when the base had 19 cases.
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Trends › By Installation › JBSA - Lackland, Texas › Before and after 2019
Short answer: JBSA - Lackland, Texas had 25 courts-martial in 2019–2023. Of 10 contested cases that reached a verdict, 8 ended in a full acquittal (80%), compared with 51% across the Air Force. The median confinement was 4 months, down from 1.6 years in 2016–2018, when the base had 19 cases.
8 of 10 Contested Cases Ended in Full Acquittal
A contested case is one where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. At Lackland, 10 contested cases reached a verdict in 2019–2023. Of those, 8 ended with the accused acquitted of all charges. That 80% rate was higher than the 51% across the Air Force in the same years.
1 more contested case ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge, guilty of another. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal shows up only when an appeals opinion reports it.
Hill and McConnell Had Fewer Full Acquittals
Hill AFB, Utah tried 25 cases and McConnell AFB, Kansas tried 24 in the same years. Hill had 1 full acquittal in 9 decided contested cases, and McConnell had 3 in 7. Hill also had a longer median confinement, 8 months, and a higher punitive discharge rate, 83%. McConnell matched Lackland at 4 months, with a punitive discharge rate of 65%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBSA - Lackland, Texas | 25 | 56% | 8 of 10 | 4 months | 60% |
| Hill AFB, Utah | 25 | 47% | 1 of 9 | 8 months | 83% |
| McConnell AFB, Kansas | 24 | 57% | 3 of 7 | 4 months | 65% |
Shorter Confinement Than in 2016–2018
Of 15 convictions, 13 included confinement. The median was 4 months, the same as the Air Force median. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 10 months or longer.
In 2016–2018, the median confinement at Lackland was 1.6 years. Convictions with confinement went from 77% to 87% over the same periods. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 19 | 25 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 56% |
| Convictions with confinement | 77% | 87% |
| Median confinement | 1.6 years | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 69% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 63% | 60% |
Results by Court Level
General courts-martial heard 15 of the 25 cases (60%), and special courts-martial heard the other 10. The median confinement was 10 months at the general level and 3 months at the special level.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and can impose a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable discharge.
Assault, Disobedience, and Threats
Charges are listed in 15 of the 25 records. Air Force records rarely list charges when a case ends in a full acquittal, so these counts mostly describe cases that ended in a conviction.
Article 112a (drugs) was the most common article, in 40% of cases, about the same as the 41% Air Force-wide. Article 128 (assault) and Article 134 (general article) each appeared in 33%, compared with 19% and 21% Air Force-wide. Article 90 (willfully disobeying a superior officer) appeared in 27%, compared with 2%.
Article 115, which covered malingering before 2019 and communicating threats since, appeared in 20%, compared with 4%. Article 86 (AWOL) also appeared in 20%, compared with 5%. Article 114, which covered dueling before 2019 and endangerment since, appeared in 13%, compared with 1%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, all Air Force cases in those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 40% | 41% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 33% | 19% |
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 33% | 21% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 4 | 27% | 2% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 20% | 16% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 3 | 20% | 4% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 20% | 5% |
| Art. 114 Dueling before 2019, endangerment since | 2 | 13% | 1% |
Punitive Discharges
Of 15 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge: 8 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. That share, 60%, compares with 56% Air Force-wide and 69% at Lackland in 2016–2018. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Pleas and Who Decided Guilt
Of the 18 records that list a plea, 8 were guilty pleas and 10 were contested. The contested share, 56%, compares with 50% Air Force-wide. Air Force records from 2016 to 2019 rarely list a guilty plea, so the earlier period has no contested share.
A military judge alone decided 17 cases. Members heard 32% of cases: 6 enlisted panels and 2 officer panels. Across the Air Force, members heard 38%. Among contested cases, members heard 6 of 10 (60%). The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel decides guilt.
Case Counts and Rank
From January 2019 through November 2023, the records show 5 cases in 2019, 5 in 2020, 5 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 7 in 2023. That is about 5 a year, compared with about 6 a year in 2016–2018.
The accused were 16 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 7 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That mix is similar to the Air Force as a whole, where 64% were junior enlisted.
What the Records Do Not Show
These are cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms, and Air Force records never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at JBSA - Lackland, Texas in 2016–2018 (19) and 2019–2023 (25).
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
- JBSA - Lackland, Texas: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- JBSA - Lackland, Texas Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 25 Cases Show
- What Was Tried at JBSA - Lackland, Texas, 2016–2018? 19 Courts-Martial
- What Was Tried at JBSA - Lackland, Texas, 2024–2026? 13 Courts-Martial
- What Changed at JBSA - Lackland, Texas After 2024? 25 Cases vs. 13
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at JBSA - Lackland, Texas, 2019–2023
- Thomas J. Alford
- Eric J. Cadotte
- Jacquelyn M. Christilles
- Elizabeth M. Hernandez
- Shad R. Kidd
- Bradley A. Morris
- Bradley J. Palmer
- Sterling C. Pendleton
- Dayle P. Percle
- Mark F. Rosenow
- Thomas A. Smith
- Matthew D. Talcott
- Charles G. Warren
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.