April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases
The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 18 courts-martial tried in April 2020. Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a punitive discharge (94%), compared with 62% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2020.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 18 courts-martial tried in April 2020. Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a punitive discharge (94%), compared with 62% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2020. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 33% of cases, compared with 18% for the year.
Nearly Every Convicted Enlisted Member Received a Punitive Discharge
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge. In April 2020, 16 of 17 convicted enlisted members received one: 14 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges.
That share, 94%, was higher than the 62% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2020. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation, which these records do not show.
Confinement Followed Almost Every Conviction
Confinement was part of 94% of the 17 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2020. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1 year or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial for every charge in the case. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can change them later.
Drug and Orders Charges Led
All 18 records list the charges, and each article counts once per case. Article 112a, which covers wrongful use and possession of controlled substances, was the most common charge: 7 cases (39%), compared with 30% for the year. Article 92 appeared in 6 cases (33%), compared with 18%.
Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 3 cases (17%), compared with 7% for the year. Article 107 (false official statements) also appeared in 3 cases (17%), compared with 12%.
Article 128 (assault) was less common than usual. It appeared in 3 cases (17%), compared with 36% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2020. Article 80 (attempts) and Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 2 cases each, and Article 127 (extortion) in 1.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 39% | 30% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 33% | 18% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 3 | 17% | 36% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 17% | 12% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 17% | 7% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 11% | 11% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 2 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 127 Extortion | 1 | 6% | 1% |
Mostly Junior Enlisted, Mostly Special Courts-Martial
Among the accused with rank recorded, 13 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) and 4 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). No officers or warrant officers were tried. For the year, 64% of the accused were junior enlisted, so this month was more junior.
Only 4 of the 18 cases were general courts-martial (22%), compared with 41% for the year. The rest were special courts-martial. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
April 2019 Compared With April 2020
April 2019 had 41 cases, and April 2020 had 18. The median confinement went from 9 months to 6 months. Convictions with confinement went from 68% to 94%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 57% to 94%. The general court-martial share went from 39% to 22%.
A month with 18 cases can change a great deal with a few cases, and the records do not show why any figure moved.
| April 2019 | April 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 41 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 23% | 0 of 1 |
| Convictions with confinement | 68% | 94% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 57% | 94% |
| General courts-martial | 39% | 22% |
Gaps in These Records
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and the forum, so this post does not report a contested share or who decided guilt for April 2020.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation do not appear.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in April 2020 (18 cases), compared with the whole year.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Year (hub)
- March 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in May 2020 (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2020 (the whole year)
- April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases
- August 2017 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases
- August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases
- August 2024 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
- Search every case in 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. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.