August 2024 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 49 Cases
The Navy and Marine Corps tried 49 courts-martial in August 2024, according to the records. AWOL charges under Article 86 appeared in 10% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 4% for both services across 2024.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › August 2024
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps tried 49 courts-martial in August 2024, according to the records. AWOL charges under Article 86 appeared in 10% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 4% for both services across 2024. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 5 months for the year.
More AWOL Charges, Fewer Assault Charges
Charges are listed for 48 of the 49 cases, and a case with several articles counts under each. Article 86, absence without leave, appeared in 5 cases (10%), compared with 4% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2024. Assault under Article 128 also appeared in 5 cases (10%), lower than the yearly 16%.
The most common charges were 3 articles with 8 cases each (17%): Article 128b domestic violence (13% for the year), Article 112a drug offenses (14% for the year), and Article 134, the general article (22% for the year). Article 120b, rape and sexual assault of a child, appeared in 4 cases (8%, compared with 5%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 17% | 13% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 17% | 14% |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 17% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 5 | 10% | 16% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 5 | 10% | 4% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 8% | 5% |
Results on the Most Common Charges
In domestic violence cases and in drug cases, 7 of 8 ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement in both groups was 2 months. All 8 cases charging Article 134 ended with a conviction under it, and the median confinement was longer, at 1.5 years.
Each median covers the whole sentence in those cases, which may include other charges as well.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 2 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 7 (7 of 8) | 2 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 1.5 years |
More General Courts-Martial Than Usual
General courts-martial made up 22 of the 49 cases (45%, compared with 38% for the year). The other 27 were special courts-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and can adjudge a bad-conduct discharge but not a dishonorable one.
The results differed by level. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.5 years, and 33% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 2 months, and 40% were contested.
More Sentences Over One Year
There were 42 convictions, and 32 included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months. A quarter of the terms were 1.5 years or more.
Sentences of more than one year were adjudged in 11 of 42 convictions (26%), compared with 22% for the year. Of those, 9 convictions (21%) were between 1 and 5 years, compared with 15%. The other 2 (5%) were 5 years or more. Another 10 convictions (24%) included no confinement, about the same as the yearly 25%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 24% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 15 | 36% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 14% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 9 | 21% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 5% | 7% |
Contested Cases and Verdicts
The plea appears in 46 of the 49 records: 29 guilty pleas and 17 contested cases. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 37%, higher than the 34% for the year.
Of the 17 contested cases that reached a verdict, 29% ended in a full acquittal, about the same as the 27% for both services in 2024. Another 5 were partial acquittals, where the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another.
Punitive Discharges
Of convicted enlisted members, 60% received a punitive discharge, compared with 58% for the year. There were 14 bad-conduct discharges and 10 dishonorable discharges. A dishonorable discharge can only come from a general court-martial.
No convicted officers appear in the month's records. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
From August 2023 to August 2024
The number of cases rose from 40 to 49. The contested share rose from 29% to 37%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 11 to 5 of 17. The general court-martial share rose from 38% to 45%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 60% in both months, and the median confinement went from 5 months to 6 months.
In groups this small, a few cases can change a percentage, so these comparisons show direction, not precise size.
| August 2023 | August 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 40 | 49 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 29% | 37% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 11 | 5 of 17 |
| Convictions with confinement | 80% | 76% |
| Median confinement | 5 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 60% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 45% |
The Accused, the Rules, and the Limits
Among the accused with rank recorded, 32 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 14 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9). That mix was more junior than the year, when 58% were junior enlisted. San Diego, California (9), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (7), Camp Pendleton, California (4), Quantico, Virginia (3), and Mayport, Florida (3) account for 53% of the cases.
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, Judges sentence within new parameters when every guilty finding involves an offense after December 27, 2023. The records do not include offense dates, so August 2024 includes cases under both the old and new rules. The data cannot show whether either change affected these figures. The records also omit evidence, plea terms, and anything handled outside a court-martial.
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 August 2024 (49 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)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, July 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in September 2024 (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2024 (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.