> ## 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. # Are Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2017–2025 - URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-by-month-2017-2025/ - Published: 2026-10-30T05:31:24.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-30T06:57:00.000Z - Description: Navy and Marine Corps trials took place in every month, with more trials in spring and in October. Across 9 full years from 2017–2025, May had the most trials (378, an average of 42.0 per year) and December had the fewest (243, an average of 27.0 per year). - Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart - Tags: Understanding Trends, Navy-Marine Corps [Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) › Navy-Marine Corps by month **Short answer:** Navy and Marine Corps trials took place in every month, with more trials in spring and in October. Across 9 full years from 2017–2025, May had the most trials (378, an average of 42.0 per year) and December had the fewest (243, an average of 27.0 per year). The median confinement was 6 months in every quarter. Based on 3740 cases · 2017–2025 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026 ## May Had the Most Trials and December the Fewest The records hold 3740 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried from January 2017 through December 2025\. May had 378 of them, an average of 42.0 trials per year. December had 243, an average of 27.0 per year. February had the second-lowest count, with 253 trials (28.1 per year). The month is the month of the trial date. Each average divides the month's total across the 9 full years in the data. | Month | Trials | Average per year | | --------- | ------ | ---------------- | | January | 308 | 34.2 | | February | 253 | 28.1 | | March | 357 | 39.7 | | April | 328 | 36.4 | | May | 378 | 42.0 | | June | 327 | 36.3 | | July | 293 | 32.6 | | August | 322 | 35.8 | | September | 288 | 32.0 | | October | 356 | 39.6 | | November | 287 | 31.9 | | December | 243 | 27.0 | ## March and October Were Also Busy After May, the highest counts were in March, with 357 trials (39.7 per year), and October, with 356 (39.6 per year). April had 328 trials, June had 327, and August had 322. January had 308 trials (34.2 per year). July had 293, September had 288, and November had 287\. Their averages were 32.6, 32.0, and 31.9 trials per year. ## Quarter Totals April–June had 1033 trials, the highest quarter. January–March had 918 and July–September had 903\. October–December had the fewest, with 886, even though October was one of the busiest single months. November and December had lower counts. The quarter totals combine all 9 years. One year's pattern can differ from the combined totals. | Quarter | Trials | Contested share | Median confinement | | ---------------- | ------ | --------------- | ------------------ | | January–March | 918 | 32% | 6 months | | April–June | 1033 | 30% | 6 months | | July–September | 903 | 34% | 6 months | | October–December | 886 | 31% | 6 months | ## Contested Share Was Between 30% and 34% A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge, either a not-guilty plea or a mixed plea. July–September had the highest contested share, 34%. April–June had the lowest, 30%. January–March was at 32% and October–December at 31%. Across all 3740 cases, 32% were contested. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often leave out the plea, so these shares use only the records that list one. The shares for trials from 2017 through 2020 rest on fewer records than the shares for later years. ## Median Confinement Did Not Change by Quarter The median confinement was 6 months for trials in every quarter of the year. The busiest quarter and the least busy quarter had the same median. These are adjudged sentences, the sentences announced at trial. They come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. ## Full Acquittals Across the Period 261 of 834 contested Navy and Marine Corps cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, meaning the accused was acquitted of all charges. That is 31%. A partial acquittal, where the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another, is not counted as a full acquittal. These figures do not split full acquittals by month or quarter. ## Trials per Year From 2017 to 2025 2017 had the most trials, with 507\. The count was 495 in 2018, 455 in 2019, and 401 in 2020\. It was 442 in 2021, 368 in 2022, and 325 in 2023, the lowest year. The count was 394 in 2024 and 353 in 2025. A year with more trials adds more to each month's total. The month table counts every year together, so it does not show whether the monthly pattern changed over time. ## Rules That Changed During the Period The Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. It set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and brought in written plea agreements. Cases with offenses from before 2019 kept the old rules. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both changes turn on the offense date, and the records give only trial dates. Trials from 2019 on can include cases with older offenses tried under the old rules, and trials from 2024 on include cases under both old and new rules. ## Limits of a Month-by-Month Count The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show when the conduct happened, when charges were filed, or how long a case took to reach trial, and they cannot show why some months had more trials. Trial records show the charges, pleas, findings, and sentence. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial, such as nonjudicial punishment and 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 with trial dates in 2017–2025 (3740 cases). 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 - [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub) - [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub) - [Are Air Force Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2016–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/air-force-courts-martial-by-month-2016-2025/) - [Are Army Courts-Martial Seasonal? Trials by Month, 2021–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/army-courts-martial-by-month-2021-2025/) - [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.