Navy-Marine Corps Article 134 Cases in 2025

Trends › By Offense › Article 134 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2025

Based on 73 cases · 2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

More of the Accused Contested the Charges

Of 70 records that list the plea, 44 were guilty pleas and 26 were contested. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 37%, the same as the 37% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025.

The contested share rose from 20% in 2024. In 2025, 26 contested cases reached a verdict, compared with 16 in 2024.

Partial Acquittals Were More Common Than Full Acquittals

Of the 26 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. That is a 15% full-acquittal rate, compared with 27% across the service. Another 11 were partial acquittals.

A partial acquittal means the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. Those cases still went on to sentencing. Many contested Article 134 cases in 2025 ended with a conviction on fewer charges, not with a full acquittal.

Median Confinement Was 1 Year

Of 66 convictions, 49 included confinement. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 4 months for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025. A quarter of the sentences were 3.5 years or longer.

Confinement longer than one year was imposed in 24 of 66 convictions (36%), compared with 16% service-wide. Of those, 16 (24%) were between 1 and 5 years and 8 (12%) were 5 years or more. No confinement was imposed in 17 convictions (26%), compared with 31%. Sentences under 6 months made up 14 convictions (21%), compared with 37%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.

Sentences by Court Level

General courts-martial tried 43 of the 73 cases (59%), compared with 36% for all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025. Special courts-martial tried 30.

A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At general courts-martial, 89% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.6 years. At special courts-martial, 54% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 4 months.

Punitive Discharges Were More Common Than Service-Wide

Of 62 convicted enlisted members, 42 received a punitive discharge: 23 bad-conduct discharges and 19 dishonorable discharges. That is 68%, compared with 46% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2025.

The records list 3 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

Changes From 2024

Cases fell from 84 to 73. The contested share rose from 20% to 37%. Median confinement fell from 1.3 years to 1 year. Convictions with confinement fell from 86% to 74%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 78% to 68%. The general court-martial share fell from 69% to 59%. Full acquittals went from 3 of 16 contested cases that reached a verdict to 4 of 26.

In groups this size, a few cases can change any figure. These changes show direction, not precision.

Other Charges, Rank, and Installations

Article 134 was the only charge in 30 of 73 cases. The most common other charges were Article 92 (orders violation) in 11, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 7, Article 128 (assault) in 6, and Article 80 (attempt) and Article 120 (sexual assault) in 5 each. The records do not say which Article 134 offense each case involved.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 62% of the accused, NCOs 33%, and officers 5%. The junior enlisted share was the same as the 62% across the service. Norfolk, Virginia tried 8 cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Camp Pendleton, California tried 7 each, and San Diego, California and Okinawa, Japan tried 6 each. Together they account for 47% of the total. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Law Changes and the Limits of the Records

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Both rules depend on offense dates, which the records do not include. The 2025 trials therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether the changes affected these numbers.

Trial records also do not include the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 134 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.

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.