June 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 39 Cases
The records show 39 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2022. Drug charges under Article 112a were the most common, in 37% of cases with charges listed, compared with 22% for all of 2022.
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Short answer: The records show 39 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2022. Drug charges under Article 112a were the most common, in 37% of cases with charges listed, compared with 22% for all of 2022. Sentences were short: the median confinement was 4 months, and only 3 of 34 convictions (9%) included more than one year of confinement, compared with 20% for the year.
Drug Charges Were the Most Common
Charges are listed for 35 of the 39 cases, and a case with three articles appears in three rows. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 13 cases (37%), compared with 22% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2022.
Absence offenses were also more common than across the year. Article 85 (desertion) appeared in 4 cases (11%), compared with 3% for the year. Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 3 cases (9%), compared with 6%.
Assault was less common. Article 128 appeared in 4 cases (11%), compared with 23% for the year. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 20% of cases and Article 80 (attempts) in 9%. Article 121 (larceny) and Article 131b (obstructing justice) appeared in 6% each.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 13 | 37% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 20% | 18% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 4 | 11% | 23% |
| Art. 85 Desertion | 4 | 11% | 3% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 3 | 9% | 6% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 9% | 6% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 6% | 7% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 6% | 5% |
Short Sentences and Few Long Ones
Of the 34 convictions, 82% included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, shorter than the median of 6 months for the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 11 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
Sentences under 6 months made up 50% of convictions, compared with 38% for the year. Only 2 convictions (6%) were more than 1 year and under 5 years, compared with 16%. 1 conviction (3%) was a sentence of 5 years or more. Convictions with no confinement made up 18%, about the same as the 17% for the year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 18% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 17 | 50% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 24% | 25% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 6% | 16% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 3% | 4% |
Special Courts-Martial Handled Most Cases
A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. General courts-martial made up 14 of the 39 cases (36%), compared with 42% for the year.
The 14 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1 year. The 25 special courts-martial had a median of 58 days. The contested share was about the same at both levels: 27% and 26%.
Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone. In that form, confinement is capped at six months and no punitive discharge is possible. The records here do not separate that form from other special courts-martial.
Most Accused Pleaded Guilty
Pleas are recorded for 34 of the 39 cases: 25 guilty pleas and 9 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A not-guilty or mixed plea makes a case contested. The contested share was 26%, lower than the 33% for the year.
Of the 9 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal. With so few contested cases in the month, one verdict would change that count noticeably.
Fewer Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct discharge or dishonorable discharge for an enlisted member. For officers, the equivalent is a dismissal. 50% of enlisted convictions this month included a punitive discharge: 14 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. The share for 2022 was 64%. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Changes From June 2021
June 2021 had 41 cases, and June 2022 had 39. The contested share went from 44% to 26%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 3 of 16 to 1 of 9.
The median confinement went from 9 months to 4 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 73% to 50%. Convictions with confinement were about the same, 83% and 82%. General courts-martial went from 54% of cases to 36%. A few cases can change percentages in groups this small, so these comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| June 2021 | June 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 41 | 39 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 44% | 26% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 16 | 1 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 82% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 73% | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 54% | 36% |
Rank of the Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 69% of the accused, and NCOs made up 31%. No officers were tried. The year had about the same mix, with 65% junior enlisted. Because every accused with a rank recorded was enlisted, no dismissal was possible this month.
Installations With the Most Cases
Camp Pendleton, California, tried 8 cases, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 6. Jacksonville, Florida, Yokosuka, Japan, and San Diego, California, tried 3 each. These five locations account for 59% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone says nothing about a particular base.
What the Records Do Not Show
The records give the date of trial, not the date of the offense. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not in these records.
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 2022 (39 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 2022 (previous / next)
- July 2022 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 28 Cases (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2022: 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.