Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial With Article 90 and Article 92, 2021–2026

Trends › By Offense › Article 90 › Navy-Marine Corps, with Article 92

Based on 25 cases · 2021–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

52% of Convictions Carried No Confinement

Of the 25 convictions, 13 carried no confinement (52%). For all Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases in 2021–2026, the share was 27%. Confinement was part of 48% of the sentences here.

Among the sentences that did include confinement, the median was 8 months. The median for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases was 6 months. A quarter of the terms here were 1.1 years or longer.

Sentences by Band

Terms under 6 months made up 20% of convictions, compared with 36% across Article 90 cases. Terms of 6 months to 1 year made up 16%, compared with 21%.

Sentences longer than one year came in 3 of 25 convictions (12%), less often than the 16% for Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases. No conviction carried 5 years or more. All of these are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.

Partial Acquittals in Contested Cases

Of the 25 cases, 14 accused pleaded guilty and 11 contested at least one charge. A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 44%, compared with 35% for Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases.

Of the 11 contested cases, 8 ended in a partial acquittal (73%). The accused in those cases was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. All 25 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge.

Punitive Discharges Were Less Common

A punitive discharge followed 43% of enlisted convictions: 8 bad-conduct discharges and 1 dishonorable discharge. The rate for Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases overall was 53%.

The group includes 1 convicted officer or warrant officer, who was not dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. Members whose sentence had no punitive discharge could still face an administrative separation, which these records do not cover.

Court Level and Rank

There were 7 general courts-martial and 18 special courts-martial. The general share was 28%, compared with 35% across Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 55% of the accused, NCOs made up 41%, and officers made up 5%. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 90 cases, junior enlisted members were 72%. This group was more senior.

Charges Filed Alongside the Pair

Article 128 (assault) was the most common other charge, in 8 cases. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 5 cases. Article 131b (obstruction) and Article 112a (drug) appeared in 4 each.

A case counts under each article it charged. Because a sentence covers every charge, the sentence figures here reflect these companion charges as well as the Article 90 and Article 92 charges.

Trial Years and Installations

These cases were tried between March 2021 and August 2026. The count was 8 in 2021, 7 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 2 in 2024, 4 in 2025, and 2 in 2026. The 2026 count covers part of the year.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 9 cases and Camp Pendleton, California tried 6. Quantico, Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia tried 3 each, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 1. These five installations account for 88% of the 25 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count does not by itself show a problem with this offense.

What the Records Leave Out

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. For offenses after December 27, 2023, when every guilty finding is for such an offense, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.

Both changes depend on the offense date. The records give trial dates only, so cases tried from 2024 on include both old-rule and new-rule cases. The records also do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 90 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.