What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in July 2020
The records list 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2020. Only 28% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across both services in 2020. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records list 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2020. Only 28% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 62% across both services in 2020. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for the year.
Fewer Punitive Discharges Than the Year
Of 32 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The share was 28%, compared with 62% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020.
The month's 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later, so these figures do not show how many members left the service.
Short Confinement Terms
Of 33 convictions, 24 included confinement, and the median confinement was 3 months. Across 2020 the median was 6 months.
Convictions with no confinement made up 9 convictions (27%), compared with 15% for the year. Terms under 6 months made up 48%, compared with 36%. Only 4 of 33 convictions (12%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 26% for 2020. None was 5 years or more.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, covering every charge of conviction in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 9 | 27% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 16 | 48% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 4 | 12% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 12% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 6% |
Most Cases Were Special Courts-Martial
The month had 12 general and 23 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 34%, lower than the 41% for 2020.
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.3 years, and 20% of cases were contested. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. At special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 7% were contested.
Only a general court-martial can adjudge more than one year of confinement, so the 4 convictions above one year all came from the 12 general courts-martial. Most of the month's cases were special courts-martial, so the month's overall sentence figures mostly reflect special courts-martial.
Drug Cases Were Common
Charges are listed for 32 of the 35 cases, and each article counts once per case. Article 112a (wrongful use or possession of controlled substances) appeared in 13 cases (41%), compared with 30% for the year.
Assault was less common. Article 128 appeared in 19% of cases, compared with 36% for 2020. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) also appeared in 19%, about the same as its yearly 18%.
Several less common charges appeared more often than usual. Article 82 (soliciting) appeared in 12%, compared with 4%. Article 115 (malingering before 2019, communicating threats since) appeared in 9%, compared with 2%. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 12%, compared with 8%. Article 134 (the general article) and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 12%, about the same as their yearly shares.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 41% | 30% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 19% | 36% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 19% | 18% |
| Art. 82 Soliciting | 4 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 12% | 13% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 12% | 8% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 4 | 12% | 12% |
| Art. 115 Malingering before 2019, communicating threats since | 3 | 9% | 2% |
Most Pleas Were Guilty
A plea is recorded in 24 of the 35 cases. Of those, 21 accused pleaded guilty, and 3 pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 12%, compared with 30% for the year.
Of the 3 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so these figures use only the records that include one.
Change From July 2019
July 2019 had 33 cases, and July 2020 had 35. Nearly every sentence measure fell. Punitive discharges went from 62% to 28%. The median confinement went from 7 months to 3 months. Convictions with confinement went from 82% to 73%.
The contested share fell from 31% to 12%. The general court-martial share fell from 48% to 34%. Monthly groups are small, so these changes show direction only.
| July 2019 | July 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 33 | 35 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 31% | 12% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 5 | 1 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 73% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 28% |
| General courts-martial | 48% | 34% |
Rank of Those Tried
Among the accused with rank recorded, 20 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 13 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. Across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020, junior enlisted made up 64%, so July's group was more senior.
NCOs are enlisted members in pay grades E-5 to E-9, and they made up a larger part of the month's accused than usual. The records do not explain the mix, and a single month is too small to show a change in who faces trial.
Where Trials Were Held
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had 6 cases. Norfolk, Virginia; Mayport, Florida; and San Diego, California, had 4 each. Bremerton, Washington, had 3. These five account for 60% of the month's 35 cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Limits
The records cover only cases that reached a courtroom. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, and cases closed without action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or any plea terms. They also give the trial date, not the date of the offense.
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 2020 (35 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 2020 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, August 2020: 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.