June 2023 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 27 Cases
The records show 27 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2023. Article 134, the general article, was the most common charge, in 40% of cases with charges listed, compared with 22% for all of 2023.
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Short answer: The records show 27 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2023. Article 134, the general article, was the most common charge, in 40% of cases with charges listed, compared with 22% for all of 2023. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for the year, and 73% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
The General Article Was Charged More Often
Charges are listed for 25 of the 27 cases, and a case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 10 cases (40%), compared with 22% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2023.
Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) was also more common than across the year, in 7 cases (28%) compared with 18%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 5 cases (20%), compared with 13%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 10 | 40% | 22% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 7 | 28% | 26% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 28% | 18% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5 | 20% | 13% |
| Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images | 3 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 8% | 10% |
| Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction | 2 | 8% | 1% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 2 | 8% | 10% |
Less Common Articles Also Appeared
Article 117a (wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images) appeared in 3 cases (12%), compared with 2% for the year. Article 109 (property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction) appeared in 2 cases (8%), compared with 1%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 28% of cases, about the same as its 26% for the year. Article 121 (larceny) and Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 2 cases each (8%). Both were slightly lower than their 10% for the year.
Most Sentences Were Between 6 Months and 1 Year
Of 24 convictions, 83% included confinement. The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the median of 6 months for 2023. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.5 years 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 from 6 months to 1 year made up 9 convictions (38%), compared with 23% for the year. Sentences under 6 months were less common, 25% compared with 33%. 4 convictions (17%) had no confinement. Sentences longer than one year came in 5 of 24 convictions (21%), about the same as the 23% for the year. No sentence was 5 years or more.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 17% | 21% |
| Under 6 months | 6 | 25% | 33% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 38% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 5 | 21% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 0 | 0% | 4% |
Comparing the Court Levels
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The month had 13 general courts-martial (48%), compared with 46% for the year, and 14 special courts-martial.
The general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1 year, and 33% were contested. The special courts-martial had a median confinement of 6 months, and 25% were contested.
More Punitive Discharges Than the Year
Of 22 convicted enlisted members, 16 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (73%). That was higher than the 63% for the year. Only 1 of those 16 was a dishonorable discharge. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
A punitive discharge is part of the court-martial sentence. For enlisted members it means a bad-conduct discharge or dishonorable discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out an administrative separation later, and administrative separations are not in these records.
Guilty Pleas in Most Cases
The plea is recorded in 24 of the 27 cases: 17 guilty pleas and 7 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A not-guilty or mixed plea makes a case contested. The contested share was 29%, about the same as the 32% for the year.
None of the 7 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. The records list the plea, but they do not show the terms of any plea agreement.
Compared With June 2022
June 2022 had 39 cases, and June 2023 had 27. The contested share went from 26% to 29%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 9 to 0 of 7. Every contested case that reached a verdict this month ended in at least one conviction.
The median confinement went from 4 months to 9 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 50% to 73%. Convictions with confinement were about the same, 82% and 83%. General courts-martial went from 36% to 48% of cases. A few cases can change percentages in groups this small, so these comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| June 2022 | June 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 39 | 27 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 26% | 29% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 9 | 0 of 7 |
| Convictions with confinement | 82% | 83% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 50% | 73% |
| General courts-martial | 36% | 48% |
A Junior Group of Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 75% of the accused. NCOs made up 21%, and officers made up 4%. For the year, junior enlisted members made up 65%.
Camp Pendleton, California, tried 4 cases, and San Diego, California, tried 3. Quantico, Virginia, Parris Island, South Carolina, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, tried 2 each. These five account for 48% 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
Only cases that reached a court-martial appear. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases closed with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or plea terms.
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 2023 (27 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, May 2023: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, July 2023: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2023: 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.