July 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 33 Cases
The records list 33 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2019. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 19% of cases with charges listed, compared with 8% for both services across 2019. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records list 33 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2019. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 19% of cases with charges listed, compared with 8% for both services across 2019. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
More Sexual Offense Charges Than the Year
Charges are listed for 32 of the 33 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 6 cases (19%), compared with 8% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2019.
Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) also appeared in 19%, higher than its 14% yearly share, and Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) in 9%, compared with 3%.
Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, at 41% compared with 34%. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 16%, compared with 10%. Drug charges were less common than usual: Article 112a appeared in 12% of cases, compared with 30% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) appeared in 16% and Article 134 (the general article) in 9%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 13 | 41% | 34% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 6 | 19% | 8% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 19% | 14% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 5 | 16% | 17% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 5 | 16% | 10% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 12% | 30% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 3 | 9% | 3% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 9% | 12% |
More Sentences of 5 Years or More
There were 28 convictions on at least one charge, and 23 of those included confinement (82%). The median confinement was 7 months, and a quarter of the terms were 2 years or longer.
Sentences of 5 years or more were adjudged in 4 convictions (14%), compared with 5% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2019. Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 7 of 28 convictions (25%), about the same as 24% for the year. Most of those 7 sentences were 5 years or more.
Shorter sentences were closer to the year. Convictions with no confinement made up 5 convictions (18%), the same as the year's 18%. Terms under 6 months made up 29%, compared with 35%. Terms of 6 months to 1 year also made up 29%, compared with 23%. Terms between 1 and 5 years were less common, at 11% compared with 19%.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each covers every charge of conviction.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 18% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 8 | 29% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 29% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 11% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 4 | 14% | 5% |
Confinement by Court Level
General courts-martial made up 16 of the 33 cases (48%), compared with 43% for the year. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. Every conviction at that level included confinement, and the median was 1.6 years.
The 17 special courts-martial cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. There, 69% of convictions included confinement, and the median was 5 months.
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
Of 26 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a punitive discharge: 10 bad-conduct and 6 dishonorable. The share was 62%, compared with 60% for the year.
The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed, the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Pleas and Acquittals
Just 16 of the 33 records list a plea, which is typical of Navy and Marine Corps data before December 2020. Among them, 11 were guilty pleas and 5 were not-guilty or mixed pleas.
The contested share was 31%, about the same as the 28% for 2019. Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty on every charge.
July 2018 to July 2019
July 2018 had 38 cases, and July 2019 had 33. The contested share rose from 7% to 31%. The general court-martial share rose from 32% to 48%.
The median confinement went from 8 months to 7 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members fell from 69% to 62%. Convictions with confinement rose from 78% to 82%. In small groups like these, a few cases can change a percentage, so the comparison shows direction only.
| July 2018 | July 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 38 | 33 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 7% | 31% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 1 | 2 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 78% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 69% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 32% | 48% |
Rank of the Accused
Among the accused with rank recorded, 17 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 11 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. That mix was about the same as the year, when 57% of the accused were junior enlisted.
Installations With the Most Cases
Norfolk, Virginia; Camp Pendleton, California; and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had 5 cases each. San Diego, California, and Bremerton, Washington, had 4 each. Together they account for 70% of the month's 33 cases.
These are among the largest Navy and Marine Corps installations, and larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Data Leave Out
The records show trial dates but not offense dates, so they cannot tie a case to the rules in force when the conduct occurred. They also do not describe the evidence or plea terms. They do not include 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 July 2019 (33 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 June 2019 (previous / next)
- August 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 34 Cases (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2019: Year in Review (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
- 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.