How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2025
In 2025, 7 of the 13 contested Navy and Marine Corps sexual assault cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (54%), compared with 27% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Offense › Article 120 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2025
Short answer: In 2025, 7 of the 13 contested Navy and Marine Corps sexual assault cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (54%), compared with 27% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. The records hold 18 courts-martial charging Article 120 (sexual assault), and 81% of those with a plea recorded were contested, compared with 37% across the service.
Full Acquittals in 7 of 13 Contested Verdicts
Of the 13 contested cases with a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (54%), meaning not guilty on every charge. Another 3 (23%) ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another.
The full-acquittal rate was higher than the 27% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025.
Most of the Accused Contested the Charges
The plea is listed in 16 of the 18 records. Of those, 13 were contested and 3 were guilty pleas. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share, 81%, was higher than the 37% across the service.
Changes From 2024
The case count went from 29 in 2024 to 18 in 2025. The contested share went from 70% to 81%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 6 of 19 to 7 of 13.
Among convictions, the median confinement went from 3 years to 1.1 years. Confinement was part of 77% of convictions in 2024 and 7 of 9 in 2025. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 81% to 6 of 8. The general court-martial share went from 90% to 78%. With groups this small, a few cases can move these figures, so they show direction rather than precise change.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 29 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 70% | 81% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 6 of 19 | 7 of 13 |
| Convictions with confinement | 77% | 7 of 9 |
| Median confinement | 3 years | 1.1 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 81% | 6 of 8 |
| General courts-martial | 90% | 78% |
Other Charges in These Cases
In 9 of the 18 cases, Article 120 was the only article charged. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 5 cases, Article 80 (attempt) in 3, Article 128 (assault) and Article 129 (burglary and unlawful entry) in 2 each, and Article 92 (orders violation) in 1.
Court Level and Rank
General courts-martial heard 14 of the 18 cases (78%). A general court-martial is the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. Special courts-martial heard the rest.
Among the accused with rank recorded, 9 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 4 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officers or warrant officers appear. That mix is more junior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025, where 62% were junior enlisted.
Article 120 Is a Covered Offense
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, and Article 120 is one of them. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence under new sentencing parameters.
Both rules depend on the offense date. The records give only trial dates, here from January 2025 to October 2025, so these trials can include cases under the old rules and the new rules. The records cannot show whether the rule changes affected any outcome.
What the Records Leave Out
Sentences in the records are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Allegations resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in the data.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 120 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2025 that charged Article 120 (18 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2024.
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
- Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2024 (previous / next)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025 (the full trend)
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2017
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2021
- How Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Ended in 2023
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 120 Cases in 2020
- Article 120 Sentences in the Navy-Marine Corps: Confinement and Discharges, 2017–2025
- S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath (podcast, members)
- Article 120 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Compare: federal court. Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial
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.