Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, February 2024: The Month in Review
The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 18 courts-martial tried in February 2024. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 5 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024. Of the 17 cases with a plea recorded, 47% were contested, compared with 34% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › February 2024
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 18 courts-martial tried in February 2024. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 5 months for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024. Of the 17 cases with a plea recorded, 47% were contested, compared with 34% for the year.
Longer Confinement Than the Yearly Median
Confinement was part of 81% of the 16 convictions. Half of those terms were 9 months or less, and a quarter were 1.7 years or longer. For the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024, the median confinement was 5 months.
Each figure is an adjudged sentence, imposed at trial for every charge in the case. A plea-agreement cap, clemency, or an appeal can change it later.
Punitive Discharges for 10 of 15 Enlisted Members
Among 15 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (67%). Of those 10, 4 were dishonorable discharges. For the year, the share was 58%, so punitive discharges were more common this month.
Enlisted members without a punitive discharge may still face an administrative separation later. These records do not show those separations.
Pleas and Full Acquittals
Records list the plea for 17 of the 18 cases. Of those, 9 accused pleaded guilty and 8 contested at least one charge, through a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 47%, higher than the 34% for the year.
Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
A Wide Spread of Charges
The records list charges for 17 of the 18 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 4 cases (24%), compared with 16% for the year. Article 112a (drug offenses) appeared in 3 cases (18%), compared with 14%.
Several other articles appeared in 2 cases each (12%). Article 119b (child endangerment), Article 131b (obstructing justice), and Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) were more common than for the year, when they appeared in 2%, 4%, and 2% of cases. Article 128b (domestic violence) was about the same as the 13% for the year. Article 134, the general article, and Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) were less common than the 22% and 16% for the year.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 24% | 16% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 18% | 14% |
| Art. 119b Child endangerment | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 12% | 13% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 12% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 2 | 12% | 2% |
Rank and Court Level
Among the accused with rank recorded, 9 were junior enlisted members and 7 were NCOs. No officers were tried. That mix is similar to the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2024.
General courts-martial made up 44% of the cases (8 of 18), and special courts-martial made up the rest. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge or confinement longer than one year.
February 2023 and February 2024
February 2023 had 20 cases, and February 2024 had 18. The median confinement went from 1.1 years to 9 months. Convictions with confinement went from 56% to 81%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 35% to 67%.
The contested share went from 35% to 47%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 2 of 7 to 1 of 8. The general court-martial share went from 45% to 44%. With groups this small, a few cases can move each figure.
| February 2023 | February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 20 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 35% | 47% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 7 | 1 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 56% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 1.1 years | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 35% | 67% |
| General courts-martial | 45% | 44% |
Rule Changes and Missing Details
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. New sentencing parameters apply when every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023. Both rules depend on offense dates, which these records do not give.
The records also do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.
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 February 2024 (18 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 January 2024 (previous / next)
- March 2024 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases (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.