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# What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in February 2020
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-february-2020/
- Published: 2026-10-28T08:14:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:09:54.000Z
- Description: The records list 33 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from February 2020. Among the 13 cases with a plea recorded, 54% were contested, compared with 30% for both services across 2020.
- 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/) › February 2020

**Short answer:** The records list 33 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from February 2020\. Among the 13 cases with a plea recorded, 54% were contested, compared with 30% for both services across 2020\. AWOL charges under Article 86 appeared in 18% of cases with charges listed, compared with 7% for the year.

Based on 33 cases · February 2020 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## More Contested Cases Than the Year

A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Only 13 of the 33 records list a plea, which is common for Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020\. Among those 13, there were 7 not-guilty or mixed pleas and 6 guilty pleas.

The contested share was 54%, higher than the 30% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020\. Of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. Because few pleas are recorded, 1 or 2 cases would change these figures.

## More AWOL and Sexual Assault Charges

Charges are listed for 28 cases, and the shares below use those cases, with each article counted once per case. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 5 cases (18%), compared with 7% for the year. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 25%, compared with 16%.

Article 114 (dueling before 2019, endangerment since) appeared in 14% of cases, compared with 3% for 2020\. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) also appeared in 14%, compared with 9%.

Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, at 43%, compared with 36% for the year. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appeared in 29%, about the same as its 30% yearly share. Article 80 (attempts) and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 11%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 12    | 43%        | 36%                                              |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8     | 29%        | 30%                                              |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 7     | 25%        | 16%                                              |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 5     | 18%        | 7%                                               |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 4     | 14%        | 9%                                               |
| Art. 114 Dueling before 2019, endangerment since                                                                                                   | 4     | 14%        | 3%                                               |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 3     | 11%        | 11%                                              |
| [Art. 107](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-107/?ref=bodiesburied.com) False official statements                 | 3     | 11%        | 12%                                              |

## Convictions on the Leading Charges

All 8 cases charging Article 112a ended in a conviction on that article, and the median confinement was 6 months. The conviction rate for assault was lower: 10 of 12 (83%) ended in a conviction on Article 128, and the median confinement was 9 months.

These rows can overlap, since a single case may combine a conviction on one article with an acquittal on another.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 12                | 10 (83%)                | 9 months                                |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 6 months                                |

## Sentence Lengths

There were 30 convictions on at least one charge, and 27 of those sentences included confinement (90%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the median for the year.

Of the convictions, 10 (33%) were between 6 months and 1 year, compared with 23% for 2020\. Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 7 of 30 convictions (23%), about the same as the 26% yearly figure. Of those, 2 were 5 years or more.

Every figure here is an adjudged sentence, set before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal and covering all charges of conviction.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| No confinement                  | 3           | 10%        | 15%                                              |
| Under 6 months                  | 10          | 33%        | 36%                                              |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 10          | 33%        | 23%                                              |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5           | 17%        | 20%                                              |
| 5 years or more                 | 2           | 7%         | 6%                                               |

## Punitive Discharges the Same as the Year

Of 29 convicted enlisted members, 18 received a punitive discharge: 13 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable. The share was 62%, the same as the figure for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2020.

The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, which is the officer form of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

## The Two Court Levels

General courts-martial, the level that can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, made up 15 of the 33 cases (45%). At that level, 92% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 1.5 years.

The other 18 cases were special courts-martial, where confinement cannot exceed one year. There, 88% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 5 months.

## From February 2019 to February 2020

The number of cases fell from 43 to 33\. The contested share rose from 24% to 54%. The median confinement was 6 months in both months.

Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 87% to 62%. Convictions with confinement fell from 95% to 90%. The general court-martial share went from 44% to 45%. In small monthly groups, a few cases can change a percentage, so these comparisons show direction only.

|                                     | February 2019 | February 2020 |
| ----------------------------------- | ------------- | ------------- |
| Cases                               | 43            | 33            |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 24%           | 54%           |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 5        | 2 of 7        |
| Convictions with confinement        | 95%           | 90%           |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months      | 6 months      |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 87%           | 62%           |
| General courts-martial              | 44%           | 45%           |

## Who Was Tried, and Where

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 66% of the accused, NCOs made up 31%, and officers made up 3%. The junior enlisted share was about the same as the 64% for the year.

Camp Pendleton, California, had 8 cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Jacksonville, Florida, had 4 each. Yokosuka, Japan, and MCAS New River, North Carolina, had 2 each. Together they account for 61% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

## Limits of These Records

Trial dates appear in the records, but offense dates do not. The records also omit the evidence, plea terms, and anything resolved through 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 with a trial date in February 2020 (33 cases), compared with the whole year.

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)
- [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in January 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-january-2020/) (previous / next)
- [March 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-march-2020/) (previous / next)
- [The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-2020-year-in-review/) (the whole year)
- [April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2018/)
- [April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-april-2020/)
- [August 2017 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 37 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-august-2017/)
- [August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-august-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in January 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-january-2020/)Next: [March 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 29 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial-march-2020/) →

**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.