> ## 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. # Navy and Marine Corps Courts-Martial Before and After the Military Justice Act of 2016 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-before-and-after-the-military-justice-act-of-2016/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:31:09.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T05:31:09.000Z - Description: In Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2019–2023, after the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect, 29% of contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (130 of 456). In 2016–2018, the rate was 52%. - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [Law Changes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/law-changes/) › Navy and Marine Corps Courts-Martial Bef **Short answer:** In Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2019–2023, after the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect, 29% of contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (130 of 456). In 2016–2018, the rate was 52%. Median confinement went from 7 months to 6 months, and the records hold 1991 cases in the later period. Based on 1991 cases · 2019–2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## Full Acquittals Before and After January 2019 The full-acquittal rate is the largest change between the 2 periods. In 2016–2018, 97 of 186 contested cases that reached a verdict ended with the accused acquitted of all charges (52%). In 2019–2023, 130 of 456 did (29%). Another 86 contested cases in 2019–2023 ended in a partial acquittal (19%). A partial acquittal means not guilty of at least one charge or specification, but guilty of another. The earlier group is small. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum, so counts that depend on the plea use only the records that list it. Read these changes as direction, not precision. | | 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | | ----------------------------------- | --------- | ---------- | | Cases | 1246 | 1991 | | Contested (of pleas recorded) | 27% | 31% | | Full acquittals (decided contested) | 97 of 186 | 130 of 456 | | Convictions with confinement | 88% | 83% | | Median confinement | 7 months | 6 months | | Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 66% | 63% | | General courts-martial | 46% | 44% | ## How Often Cases Were Contested A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of the 1462 cases with a plea recorded in 2019–2023, 457 were contested and 1005 were guilty pleas. That is 31% contested, compared with 27% in 2016–2018\. The plea is listed in 1462 of 1991 records. Guilty pleas were most common in cases charging Article 112a, at 80% (268 of 334). They were least common in cases charging Article 128, at 60% (255 of 427). The records do not say why an accused pleaded or fought. ## Confinement and Sentence Lengths Of 1754 convictions in 2019–2023, 1453 included confinement (83%), compared with 88% of convictions in 2016–2018\. The median confinement was 6 months, shorter than the 7 months median before. The later period also had 2 life sentences. Sentences longer than one year made up 24% of convictions (421 of 1754), compared with 30% in 2016–2018\. Sentences of 5 years or more fell to 5% from 9%. Convictions with no confinement rose to 17% from 12%. These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case. | Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, 2016–2018 | | ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ---------------- | | No confinement | 301 | 17% | 12% | | Under 6 months | 610 | 35% | 35% | | 6 months to 1 year | 422 | 24% | 24% | | More than 1 year, under 5 years | 335 | 19% | 20% | | 5 years or more | 86 | 5% | 9% | ## Punitive Discharges A punitive discharge followed 63% of enlisted convictions in 2019–2023, compared with 66% in 2016–2018\. The later group included 753 bad-conduct discharges and 287 dishonorable discharges. Of 54 convicted officers or warrant officers, 18 were dismissed, which is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. An enlisted member whose sentence has no punitive discharge can still face administrative separation later. ## Which Charges Were More and Less Common? Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge in 2019–2023, in 31% of cases, compared with 36% in 2016–2018\. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 14% of cases, compared with 18%. Article 134 (general article) and Article 92 (orders violation) were each charged in 18% of cases, up from 14%. These shares use the 1875 cases whose records list charges. One case can appear under several articles. | UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, 2016–2018 | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ---------------- | | [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault | 574 | 31% | 36% | | [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 460 | 25% | 28% | | [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article | 346 | 18% | 14% | | [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation | 344 | 18% | 14% | | [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault | 262 | 14% | 18% | | [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts | 176 | 9% | 10% | | [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny | 171 | 9% | 10% | | [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements | 156 | 8% | 12% | ## Conviction Rates on the Top Charges Article 134 had the highest conviction rate among the top charges: 339 of 346 cases ended in a conviction on that article (98%). Article 128 had the lowest: 481 of 574 (84%). Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 435 of 460 cases (95%), with a median confinement of 5 months. The median confinement when convicted of Article 134 was 1.5 years. A case can end in a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap. | Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | Art. 128 Assault | 574 | 481 (84%) | 6 months | | Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 460 | 435 (95%) | 5 months | | Art. 134 General article | 346 | 339 (98%) | 1.5 years | | Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 344 | 329 (96%) | 6 months | ## Court Level and Rank General courts-martial made up 44% of cases in 2019–2023 (874 of 1991), compared with 46% in 2016–2018\. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 1.5 years at the general level and 3 months at the special level, and the contested shares were 41% and 23%. By rank, 1178 accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 605 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 64 were officers or warrant officers. That mix is similar to 2016–2018, when 61% were junior enlisted. ## Cases by Year and Installation The yearly count was 455 in 2019, 401 in 2020, 442 in 2021, 368 in 2022, and 325 in 2023\. That is about 398 cases a year, compared with about 415 a year in 2016–2018. The 5 installations with the most cases were Camp Pendleton, California (291), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (283), Norfolk, Virginia (205), San Diego, California (173), and Bremerton, Washington (153). Together they account for 55% of the cases. ## What the Law Changed and What the Records Leave Out The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. Its rules applied by offense date, and these records give only trial dates. Trials soon after the change therefore include cases under both the old and the new rules. The changes above happened in the same period as the law change, and the records cannot show whether the law caused them. The records also leave out the evidence, the plea terms, and 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 2016–2018 (1246) and 2019–2023 (1991). Plea and forum records are incomplete before 2021. 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 - [Law Changes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/law-changes/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Sentences Before and After the December 2023 Sentencing Changes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-court-martial-sentences-before-and-after-the-2023-sentencing-reform/) - [Air Force Court-Martial Sentences Before and After the December 2023 Sentencing Changes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-court-martial-sentences-before-and-after-the-2023-sentencing-reform/) - [Air Force Courts-Martial Before and After the Military Justice Act of 2016](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-before-and-after-the-military-justice-act-of-2016/) - [Army Court-Martial Sentences Before and After the December 2023 Sentencing Changes](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-court-martial-sentences-before-and-after-the-2023-sentencing-reform/) - [Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Cases Before and After the Office of Special Trial Counsel](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120-cases-before-and-after-the-office-of-special-trial-counsel/) - [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.