Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, April 2022: The Month in Review
Navy and Marine Corps records list 28 courts-martial in April 2022. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2022. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 26% of the cases with a charge list, compared with 18% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: Navy and Marine Corps records list 28 courts-martial in April 2022. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2022. Article 92 (orders violation) was charged in 26% of the cases with a charge list, compared with 18% for the year.
Fewer Cases, Longer Sentences
There were 28 trials in April 2022, compared with 47 in April 2021. Of 26 convictions, 23 included confinement. The median confinement was 8 months, higher than the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022. A quarter of the terms were 1.5 years or longer, and 1 was a life sentence.
These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge in its case.
Long Terms Were More Common
Terms longer than 1 year were in 9 of the 26 convictions, a 35% share, compared with 20% for the year. Most of these were between 1 and 5 years: 8 convictions, or 31%, compared with 16% across 2022. 1 conviction (4%) was 5 years or more, the same 4% as the year.
Short terms were less common. Sentences under 6 months were 27% of convictions, compared with 38% for 2022. 3 convictions (12%) had no confinement, compared with 17%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 12% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 27% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 7 | 27% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 31% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 4% | 4% |
Equal Numbers of General and Special Courts-Martial
There were 14 general and 14 special courts-martial, so general courts-martial were 50% of the cases. Only a general court-martial can impose more than 1 year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to 1 year of confinement and can impose a bad-conduct discharge.
At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.5 years, and 46% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 5 months, and 21% of cases were contested.
More Punitive Discharges Than the Year
A bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge followed 75% of enlisted convictions, compared with 64% for the year. There were 12 bad-conduct discharges and 6 dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer form of a punitive discharge.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
More Orders Violation Charges
Charge lists exist for 27 of the 28 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged in 7 cases, a 26% share, compared with 18% for 2022. Article 128 (assault) was also charged in 7 cases (26%, compared with 23%).
Article 112a (drug) charges were 22%, the same as the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 4 cases (15%, compared with 9%), and Article 107 (false official statements) in 3 (11%, compared with 6%). Article 80 (attempts) and Article 121 (larceny) were each charged in 2 cases, or 7%, close to their yearly shares.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 7 | 26% | 23% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 26% | 18% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 6 | 22% | 22% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 22% | 20% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 15% | 9% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 3 | 11% | 6% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 7% | 6% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 7% | 7% |
The Contested Share Was the Same as the Year
The plea appears in 27 of the 28 records: 18 guilty pleas and 9 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 33%, the same as the 33% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2022.
In April 2021, 38% of the cases with a plea were contested. In April 2022, most contested cases were general courts-martial, where the contested share was 46%. Most special courts-martial were resolved by guilty pleas.
Compared With April 2021
There were 28 cases in April 2022, compared with 47 in April 2021. The contested share was 33%, compared with 38%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict were 7 of 17 in April 2021 and 1 of 9 in April 2022. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 75%, compared with 62%. The median confinement was 8 months, compared with 7 months.
With so few cases, a few can change these numbers. They show direction more than exact size.
| April 2021 | April 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 47 | 28 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 38% | 33% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 7 of 17 | 1 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 84% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 75% |
| General courts-martial | 55% | 50% |
Who Was Tried, and Where
Among the accused with rank recorded, 19 were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 6 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. The accused were more junior than in the year as a whole, when 65% were junior enlisted members.
Camp Pendleton, California had 6 cases and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina had 5. Bremerton, Washington had 3, and Norfolk, Virginia and Quantico, Virginia had 2 each. Together these locations account for 64% of the 28 cases. Larger installations try more cases, so these counts do not single out any one base.
What the Records Do Not Show
Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or misconduct handled outside a court-martial. They give trial dates rather than offense dates.
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 2022 (28 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)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in March 2022 (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in May 2022 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2022: Year in Review (the whole year)
- April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases
- April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases
- August 2017 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases
- August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 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.