What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in June 2019
The records list 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried in June 2019. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 44% of cases with charges listed, compared with 34% for all of 2019. Sentences over one year were adjudged in 11 of 34 convictions (32%), compared with 24% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records list 38 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial tried in June 2019. Assault under Article 128 appeared in 44% of cases with charges listed, compared with 34% for all of 2019. Sentences over one year were adjudged in 11 of 34 convictions (32%), compared with 24% for the year.
Assault Was the Most Common Charge
The records list charges for 36 of the 38 cases, and a case can count under more than one article. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 16 of them (44%), higher than the year's 34%.
Article 131b (obstructing justice) was also more common than usual, in 5 cases (14%) compared with 7% for 2019. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 8 cases (22%), and Article 134 (general article) in 6 (17%), both higher than their yearly shares of 17% and 12%.
Drug cases under Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 10 cases (28%), about the same as 30% for the year. Article 121 (larceny), Article 120 (rape and sexual assault), and Article 107 (false official statements) each appeared in 4 cases (11%).
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 16 | 44% | 34% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 28% | 30% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 22% | 17% |
| Art. 134 General article | 6 | 17% | 12% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 5 | 14% | 7% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 11% | 11% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 11% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 4 | 11% | 7% |
Conviction Rates for the Most Common Articles
For the most frequently charged articles, the records show whether the accused was convicted of that particular article. All 8 Article 92 cases ended in a conviction under it, and the median confinement was 3 months.
In 14 of 16 assault cases (88%), the accused was convicted under Article 128, and the median was 6 months. In 8 of 10 drug cases (80%), the accused was convicted under Article 112a, and the median was 7 months. One case can include both a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 16 | 14 (88%) | 6 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 10 | 8 (80%) | 7 months |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 3 months |
Longer Sentences Than the Year
Of the 34 convictions, 85% included confinement. The median confinement was 7 months, compared with 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019. Adjudged sentences are the ones announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in a case.
The largest difference was in terms of more than 1 year but under 5 years: 10 convictions (29%), compared with 19% for the year. Only 1 conviction (3%) was 5 years or more, and 5 (15%) included no confinement. Terms under 6 months made up 35%, the same as the yearly share.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 5 | 15% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 35% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 6 | 18% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 29% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 3% | 5% |
Equal Numbers of General and Special Courts-Martial
Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year and a bad-conduct discharge. In June 2019, 19 of the 38 cases were general courts-martial (50%), compared with 43% for the year.
At the 19 general courts-martial, the median confinement was 1.6 years, and 30% of cases were contested. At the 19 special courts-martial, the median was 4 months.
Punitive Discharges About the Same as the Year
All 34 convictions involved enlisted members, and 20 of them received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (59%), about the same as 60% for the year. Of those, 4 were dishonorable. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Few Pleas in the Record
Only 14 of the 38 records list a plea, since Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Among those, 11 accused pleaded guilty, and 3 pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 21%, compared with 28% for the year. Of the 3 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal. That count is too small to support a rate.
June 2018 Compared With June 2019
The number of cases went from 44 to 38. The contested share went from 25% to 21%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 4 to 2 of 3.
Convictions with confinement rose from 78% to 85%. The median confinement went from 8 months to 7 months. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members were 59% in both months, and the general court-martial share went from 48% to 50%. With monthly groups this small, changes indicate direction only.
| June 2018 | June 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 44 | 38 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 25% | 21% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 4 | 2 of 3 |
| Convictions with confinement | 78% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 8 months | 7 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 59% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 48% | 50% |
Rank and Location
Among the accused with rank recorded, 21 were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4) and 15 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9); no officers or warrant officers appear. That mix is about the same as the year, when 57% were junior enlisted.
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, had the most cases, with 9. Camp Pendleton, California, and Norfolk, Virginia, had 5 each. Pensacola, Florida, and MCAS Miramar, California, had 3 each. These locations account for 66% of the month's cases. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
What the Records Do Not Show
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
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 June 2019 (38 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 May 2019 (previous / next)
- July 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 33 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
- 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.