> ## 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 Often Are Contested Navy-Marine Corps Article 93 Cases Acquitted? - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-93-acq-2017-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-30T08:05:15.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T08:05:15.000Z - Description: In the Navy and Marine Corps from 2017–2025, 7 of 12 contested cases with an Article 93 (maltreatment) charge ended in a full acquittal (58%). That is higher than the 31% full-acquittal rate for all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Article 93, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) › [Article 93](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-93-courts-martial/) › How Often Are Contested Navy-Marine Corp **Short answer:** In the Navy and Marine Corps from 2017–2025, 7 of 12 contested cases with an Article 93 (maltreatment) charge ended in a full acquittal (58%). That is higher than the 31% full-acquittal rate for all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. Based on 12 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Full Acquittals in 7 of 12 Cases All 12 cases in this group were contested, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 12 contested cases with a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (58%). The accused was acquitted of all charges in those cases. Another 3 cases ended in a partial acquittal (25%). In a partial acquittal, the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate for Article 93 was higher than the 31% for all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in the same years. With 12 cases, each single case moves the rate by a wide margin. ## Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial Only 1 of the 12 cases was a general court-martial (8%). In all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, 53% were general courts-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. ## NCOs Made Up the Larger Group Among the accused with rank recorded, 7 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), 4 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), and 0 were officers or warrant officers. This mix was more senior than all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, where 49% of the accused were junior enlisted. ## Article 92 Was the Most Common Added Charge Article 93 was the only charge in 3 of the 12 cases. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared alongside it in 7 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 3\. Article 131b (obstruction, numbered since 2019) and Article 82 (solicitation) each appeared in 1. ## Trial Years The 12 trials took place between April 2019 and December 2025\. The records show 2 in 2019, 2 in 2021, 1 in 2023, 4 in 2024, and 3 in 2025, with none in 2017, 2018, 2020, or 2022\. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, and these counts use only records that list one. ## Law Changes During These Years Several trials here came after January 1, 2019, the date the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect. That act fixed panel sizes, added written plea agreements, and created a judge-alone special court-martial limited to six months of confinement and no punitive discharge. Offenses committed before 2019 were still tried under the earlier rules. A second set of changes started in late 2023\. On December 28, 2023, special trial counsel took over from commanders the choice to prosecute covered offenses, a group that includes sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Sentencing by the military judge within new parameters applies when all guilty findings are for offenses after December 27, 2023\. The records list trial dates only, so the 2024 and 2025 trials here may fall under either system. ## What the Records Do Not Show The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. They also do not include cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. 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 tried 2017–2025: where the accused contested a charge under Article 93 (maltreatment) (12 cases), compared with all contested Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years. 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 93 (Cruelty and Maltreatment): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-93-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Offense](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-offense/) (hub) - [How Has Article 93 Changed in Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Since 2017?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-93-trend-2017-2025/) - [How Much Confinement for an Article 93 Conviction in the Navy-Marine Corps?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-93-sent-2017-2025/) - [Not Guilty Pleas in Army Article 93 Cases: What Happened at Trial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-article-93-acq-2021-2025/) (another service) - [Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps AWOL Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-86-acq-2017-2025/) - [Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Child Sexual Abuse Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120b-acq-2017-2025/) - [Fighting a Navy-Marine Corps Conduct Unbecoming Charge: How Contested Cases Ended](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-133-acq-2017-2025/) - [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members) **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.