Orders Violation at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2020: The Year in Numbers

Trends › By Offense › Article 92 › Navy-Marine Corps, 2020

Based on 66 cases · 2020 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

More Punitive Discharges Than in 2019

The largest change from 2019 was in punitive discharges. In 2019, 45% of enlisted members convicted in orders-violation cases received a punitive discharge. In 2020, the share was 70%. In 2019 the share was lower than across the service; in 2020 it was higher.

Of 60 convicted enlisted members in 2020, 42 received a punitive discharge: 35 bad-conduct discharges and 7 dishonorable discharges. None of the 3 convicted officers or warrant officers was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

2020 Compared With 2019

Other measures changed less. There were 66 cases in 2020, compared with 71 in 2019. The contested share was 20%, compared with 18%, and the general court-martial share was 33%, compared with 31%. The median confinement was 6 months in both years. Convictions with confinement were 83%, compared with 72%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 1 of 3 in 2019 and 0 of 3 in 2020.

In groups of this size, a few cases can change the figures. Each change shows direction more than exact size.

Confinement Was About the Same as the Service

Of the 66 cases, 63 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 52 of those sentences included confinement (83%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the service median. A quarter of sentences were 1.2 years or longer.

These are adjudged sentences: the terms announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers all charges in a case.

Each Sentence Band Was Close to the Service

Each confinement band was within a few points of the service share. No confinement: 11 convictions (17%), compared with 15%. Under 6 months: 24 (38%), compared with 36%. 6 months to 1 year: 13 (21%), compared with 23%.

Terms of more than 1 year were about as common as across the service: 15 of 63 convictions (24%), compared with 26%. Of those, 12 (19%) were between 1 and 5 years and 3 (5%) were 5 years or more.

Court Level and Sentence Length

Special courts-martial tried 44 of these cases and general courts-martial tried 22. The general court-martial share was 33%, compared with 41% across the service.

A special court-martial can impose no more than 1 year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. The median confinement was 1.5 years at general courts-martial and 4 months at special courts-martial.

There were 7 dishonorable discharges, which require a general court-martial. The 35 bad-conduct discharges can come from either court level, and the records available for this page do not divide them by court.

Other Charges in the Same Cases

In 54 of the 66 cases, at least one other article was charged with Article 92. Article 128 (assault) was the most common, in 19 cases, and Article 112a (drug) was charged in 18. Article 107 (false official statement) was charged in 13, and Article 131b (obstruction) and Article 134 (general article) in 10 each.

Each sentence covers every charge, so these figures cannot isolate the orders violation itself.

Recorded Pleas

Only 15 of the 66 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those, 12 accused pleaded guilty and 3 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 20%, compared with 30% across the service, but the number of records is small.

In a contested case, the government must prove each contested charge at trial. None of the 3 contested cases that reached a verdict this year ended in a full acquittal. A group that small cannot support a rate.

The Accused and Where They Were Tried

Among the accused with rank recorded, 39 were junior enlisted members, 22 were NCOs, and 3 were officers. This is similar to all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2020.

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 12 of the cases, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay 8, Camp Pendleton, California 7, Parris Island, South Carolina 6, and San Diego, California 4. Together these locations account for 56% of the 66. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so these counts do not single out a base.

What the Records Do Not Include

These records include only cases that reached a court-martial. Orders violations resolved through nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not included. The records also omit the evidence, plea terms, and the dates of the conduct. They list only when each trial took place.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 92 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.