July 2021 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 30 Cases
The records list 30 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2021. None of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, compared with 26% across both services in 2021.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records list 30 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial from July 2021. None of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal, compared with 26% across both services in 2021. When confinement was adjudged, the median was 11 months, compared with 7 months for the year.
No Full Acquittals in Contested Cases
A plea is recorded in 29 of the 30 cases. In 18, the accused pleaded guilty. In 11, the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge, which makes the case contested. The contested share was 38%, higher than the 32% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2021.
None of those 11 contested cases ended in a full acquittal (0 of 11). Across 2021, 26% of contested cases that reached a verdict did. Another 4 contested cases ended in a partial acquittal: a not-guilty finding on at least one charge and a guilty finding on another.
Longer Sentences Than Usual
Of the 30 convictions, 87% included confinement. The median confinement was 11 months, higher than the 7 months for 2021. A quarter of the terms were 1.5 years or longer.
Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 11 of 30 convictions (37%), compared with 26% for the year. All of them were between 1 and 5 years: 37% of convictions, compared with 21% for 2021. None was 5 years or more. Terms under 6 months were less common, at 23% compared with 33%.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge of conviction in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 13% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 7 | 23% | 33% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 27% | 26% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11 | 37% | 21% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 5% |
Every Case With a Common Charge Ended in Conviction
Every case charging one of the most common articles ended in a conviction on that article. All 11 cases charging Article 128 (assault) did, and the median confinement was 7 months. All 9 cases charging Article 134 (the general article) did, and the median was 1.3 years.
All 8 cases charging Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) did too, and the median was 5 months. These rows overlap, since a case can include several articles.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 11 | 11 (100%) | 7 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 9 (9 of 9) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 5 months |
More Larceny, Attempts, and False Statement Charges
All 30 cases have charges listed, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 was the most common, at 37%, compared with 32% for the year. Article 134 appeared in 30%, compared with 26%, and Article 92 in 27%, compared with 21%.
Several charges were more common than in the year. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 23%, compared with 13%. Article 121 (larceny) and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 20%, compared with 9% and 10%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) also appeared in 20%, about the same as its 19%.
Drug charges were less common: Article 112a appeared in 17% of cases, compared with 25% for 2021.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 11 | 37% | 32% |
| Art. 134 General article | 9 | 30% | 26% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 27% | 21% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 7 | 23% | 13% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 6 | 20% | 10% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 6 | 20% | 9% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 20% | 19% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 17% | 25% |
More General Courts-Martial Than Usual
General courts-martial made up 17 of the 30 cases (57%), compared with 48% for the year. That level can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. At that level, the median confinement was 1.3 years, and 44% of cases were contested.
A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement. At the 13 special courts-martial, the median was 3 months, and 31% of cases were contested.
Punitive Discharges
Among 29 convicted enlisted members, 17 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (59%), lower than the 64% for 2021. Of those, 6 were dishonorable.
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.
Large Changes From July 2020
July 2020 had 35 cases, and July 2021 had 30. Almost every measure rose. The contested share rose from 12% to 38%. The median confinement rose from 3 months to 11 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members rose from 28% to 59%.
Convictions with confinement rose from 73% to 87%. The general court-martial share rose from 34% to 57%. These are small monthly groups, so the changes show direction, not precise size.
| July 2020 | July 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 35 | 30 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 12% | 38% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 3 | 0 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 73% | 87% |
| Median confinement | 3 months | 11 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 28% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 34% | 57% |
Rank and Location
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 67% of the accused, NCOs made up 30%, and officers made up 3%. The junior enlisted share was about the same as the 69% for the year.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had 7 cases. Camp Pendleton, California, had 5, and Norfolk, Virginia, had 3. Parris Island, South Carolina, and San Diego, California, had 2 each. These five account for 63% of the cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Show
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or misconduct handled outside a court-martial.
They give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or cases closed without action. A month with no full acquittals in contested cases says nothing about how many allegations never reached a courtroom.
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 2021 (30 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)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, June 2021: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in August 2021 (previous / next)
- How 2021 Went at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial (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.