December 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases
The records list 29 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in December 2020. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 32% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 13% for both services across 2020. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › December 2020
Short answer: The records list 29 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in December 2020. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 32% of the cases with charges listed, compared with 13% for both services across 2020. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
More General Article and Orders Charges
Charges are listed for 28 of the 29 records, and each article counts once per case. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 9 cases (32%), compared with 13% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020. Article 92, failure to obey an order or regulation, also appeared in 9 (32%), compared with 18%.
Assault under Article 128 was the most common charge, in 13 cases (46%, compared with 36%). Article 131b obstructing justice appeared in 18% of cases, compared with 7%. Article 107 false official statements also appeared in 18%, compared with 12%. Article 133, conduct unbecoming an officer, appeared in 2 cases (7%, compared with 2%). Drug charges under Article 112a appeared in 29% of cases, about the same as the year, and Article 120 rape and sexual assault appeared in 6 cases (21%, compared with 16%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 46% | 36% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 32% | 18% |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 32% | 13% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 29% | 30% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 21% | 16% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 5 | 18% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 5 | 18% | 12% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 2 | 7% | 2% |
Nearly Every Common Charge Ended in a Conviction
All 9 cases charging Article 92 ended in a conviction on that article, as did all 9 charging Article 134 and all 8 charging Article 112a. In 12 of 13 assault cases (92%), the accused was convicted of assault.
The median confinement differed by charge: 6 months in the assault cases, 7 months for orders violations, 10 months for drug cases, and 2.6 years for cases with a conviction under Article 134. Each median covers the full sentence in those cases, including any other charges.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 12 (92%) | 6 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 7 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 2.6 years |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 10 months |
Longer Terms Than the Year
Of 27 convictions, 81% included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year. A quarter of the terms were 2.3 years or more.
Terms of 6 months to 1 year were the largest group: 9 convictions (33%), compared with 23% for 2020. Terms over one year were adjudged in 7 of 27 convictions (26%), the same as the 26% for the year. Terms under 6 months made up 22%, compared with 36%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 19% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 6 | 22% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 33% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 19% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 7% | 6% |
Court Level and Confinement
Of the 29 cases, 13 were general courts-martial (45%, compared with 41% for the year) and 16 were special courts-martial. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge or dismissal. A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and a bad-conduct discharge.
Every conviction at the general level included confinement (100%), and the median was 1.5 years. At the special level, 69% of convictions did, and the median was 6 months.
Discharges and Dismissals
Of 24 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a punitive discharge: 11 bad-conduct and 6 dishonorable. For the year, the share was 62%. The month also had 2 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed.
The punitive discharge share was 71%, higher than the yearly rate. A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member, and only a general court-martial can adjudge the dishonorable kind. A sentence without one does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Pleas Recorded in Few Cases
Only 12 of the 29 records list the plea: 9 guilty pleas and 3 contested cases. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 25%, compared with 30% for both services in 2020.
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. This month, the plea is missing from most records. Of the contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 of 3 ended in a full acquittal.
Compared With December 2019
December 2019 had 34 cases; December 2020 had 29. The median confinement went from 8 months to 9 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 65% to 71%. The contested share went from 22% to 25%, and the general court-martial share went from 50% to 45%.
In small groups like these, a few cases can change a percentage, so the changes show direction, not precise size.
| December 2019 | December 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 34 | 29 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 22% | 25% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 4 | 1 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 65% | 71% |
| General courts-martial | 50% | 45% |
Rank, Location, and Limits
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 56% of the accused, NCOs made up 33%, and officers made up 11%. Across both services in 2020, junior enlisted members were 64%, so this month's accused were more senior. Parris Island, South Carolina, and Norfolk, Virginia, had 4 cases each. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had 3. Camp Pendleton, California, and MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, had 2 each. Together these five places account for 52% of the cases.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they omit 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.
How We Counted
Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial with a trial date in December 2020 (29 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, November 2020: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, January 2021: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2020 (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.