> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bodiesburied.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # How Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Cases Ended in 2022 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2022/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:12:01.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-03T01:45:09.000Z - Description: Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in 2022 included 17 cases charging Article 131b (obstruction), down from 28 in 2021. The median confinement was 1 year in both years, compared with 6 months in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 131b, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 131b](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) › Navy-Marine Corps, 2022 **Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in 2022 included 17 cases charging Article 131b (obstruction), down from 28 in 2021\. The median confinement was 1 year in both years, compared with 6 months in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022\. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 93% in 2021 to 67% in 2022. Based on 17 cases · 2022 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## How 2022 Compared With 2021 The case count went from 28 in 2021 to 17 in 2022\. The share of convictions that carried confinement went from 100% to 65%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 93% to 67%, and the general court-martial share went from 57% to 41%. Other measures changed little. The contested share moved from 32% to 29%, and the median confinement was 1 year in both years. With groups this small, a few cases can move a percentage, so these changes show direction rather than precise rates. | | 2021 | 2022 | | ----------------------------------- | ------ | ------ | | Cases | 28 | 17 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 32% | 29% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 9 | 0 of 5 | | Convictions with confinement | 100% | 65% | | Median confinement | 1 year | 1 year | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 93% | 67% | | General courts-martial | 57% | 41% | ## Confinement After Conviction All 17 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 11 of those sentences included confinement (65%). The median confinement was 1 year, longer than the 6 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022\. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1.5 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in the case. ## Discharges for Enlisted Members and Officers 10 of 15 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The share for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022 was 64%. 2 convicted officers or warrant officers appear in these records, and neither was dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation. ## A More Senior Group of Accused 9 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 6 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 were officers or warrant officers. This mix was more senior than all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022, where 65% were junior enlisted. 7 of the 17 cases were general courts-martial (41%), about the same as the 42% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022\. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## Pleas and Verdicts 12 accused pleaded guilty, and 5 contested at least one charge. The contested share, 29%, was lower than the 33% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2022\. None of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, and none of the 9 in 2021 did. ## Orders Violations Were the Most Common Companion Charge Article 131b was the only charge in 2 of the 17 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 7 cases. Article 128 (assault) and Article 112a (drug) each appeared in 4, and Article 90 (disobeying an officer) and Article 133 (conduct unbecoming) each appeared in 2. ## What Is Not in These Records Only cases that reached a courtroom are counted. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases with no action are not included, and 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 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in 2022 that charged Article 131b (17 cases), compared with all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year and with 2021. 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 - [Article 131b (Obstruction, Numbered Since 2019): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-131b-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [How Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Cases Ended in 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2021/) (previous / next) - [Navy-Marine Corps Article 131b Cases in 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2025/) (previous / next) - [Is Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 131b, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-trend-2017-2025/) (the full trend) - [How Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Cases Ended in 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2018/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Article 131b Cases in 2019](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2019/) - [How Much Confinement for an Article 131b Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-sent-2017-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) ← Previous: [How Navy-Marine Corps Obstruction Cases Ended in 2021](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2021/)Next: [Navy-Marine Corps Article 131b Cases in 2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-131b-2025/) → **Compare: federal court.** [Obstruction of Justice and Perjury: Federal vs. Court-Martial Sentences](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-obstruction-perjury-vs-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](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.