What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2024
The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 16 courts-martial tried in December 2024. Of the 15 cases with a plea recorded, 8 were contested (53%), compared with 34% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024. The median confinement was 5 months, the same as for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › December 2024
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 16 courts-martial tried in December 2024. Of the 15 cases with a plea recorded, 8 were contested (53%), compared with 34% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024. The median confinement was 5 months, the same as for the year.
A Higher Contested Share
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. In December 2024, 7 accused pleaded guilty and 8 contested. Records list the plea for 15 of the 16 cases.
The contested share of 53% was higher than the 34% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of all charges.
NCOs Made Up Most of the Accused
NCOs were 56% of the accused, and junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 44%. No officers were tried. Across the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024, junior enlisted members were 58% of the accused.
General courts-martial made up 38% of the month's cases (6 of 16). Special courts-martial made up the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year.
Sentences After Conviction
The month had 14 convictions, and 10 of them included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, the same as the 5 months for the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer.
A punitive discharge followed 57% of enlisted convictions: 4 bad-conduct discharges and 4 dishonorable discharges. The Navy and Marine Corps rate for 2024 was 58%, about the same.
These are adjudged sentences, imposed at trial for every charge in the case and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Assault and Orders Charges Were Most Common
All 16 records list the charges, and a case charging several articles counts under each. Article 128 (assault) and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) each appeared in 4 cases (25%). For the year, each appeared in 16% of cases.
Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 3 cases (19%), compared with 14% for the year. Article 134, the general article, also appeared in 3 cases (19%), compared with 22%. Article 80 (attempts) and Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 2 cases each, and Article 106a and Article 107 in 1 each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 25% | 16% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 25% | 16% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 19% | 14% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 19% | 22% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 2 | 12% | 7% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 12% | 13% |
| Art. 106a Wearing unauthorized insignia | 1 | 6% | 1% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 1 | 6% | 5% |
How December 2024 Compares With December 2023
December 2023 had 25 cases, and December 2024 had 16. The contested share went from 26% to 53%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 6 to 2 of 8.
The median confinement went from 6 months to 5 months. Convictions with confinement went from 76% to 71%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 70% to 57%. The general court-martial share went from 52% to 38%. A single month is a small group, and a few cases can move these figures.
| December 2023 | December 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 25 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 26% | 53% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 6 | 2 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 76% | 71% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 70% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 38% |
New Rules in Effect for Some of These Cases
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 rules depend on the offense date, which these records do not give.
Limits of the Record
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or misconduct handled through 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 2024 (16 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 November 2024 (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in January 2025 (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.