June 2024 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 27 Cases
The records show 27 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2024. Domestic violence under Article 128b was the most common charge, in 7 cases (26%), compared with 13% for all of 2024.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records show 27 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in June 2024. Domestic violence under Article 128b was the most common charge, in 7 cases (26%), compared with 13% for all of 2024. Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal, and 71% of the 21 convictions included confinement.
Domestic Violence and Assault Were the Most Common Charges
All 27 records list charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 128b (domestic violence) was the most common charge, in 7 cases (26%), compared with 13% for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2024. Article 128 (assault) was next, in 6 cases (22%), compared with 16%.
Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 4 cases (15%), compared with 8%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 3 cases (11%), compared with 7%. Article 81 (conspiracy) appeared in 2 cases (7%), compared with 3%.
Some common charges appeared less often than across the year. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 15% of cases, compared with 22%. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 11%, compared with 14%. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 15%, about the same as its 16%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 7 | 26% | 13% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 22% | 16% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 15% | 8% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 15% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 15% | 16% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 3 | 11% | 14% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 2 | 7% | 3% |
Domestic Violence Under the New Prosecution Rules
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. Covered offenses include domestic violence, sexual assault, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, a military judge also sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.
Both rules depend on the date of the offense, and these records do not give offense dates. June 2024 trials therefore include cases under the old rules and cases under the new rules. The records cannot show whether either change had any connection to the charges tried this month.
Pleas and Verdicts
The plea is listed in 25 of the 27 records: 17 guilty pleas and 8 not-guilty or mixed pleas. A not-guilty or mixed plea makes a case contested. The contested share was 32%, about the same as the 34% for the year.
Of the 8 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. In a group this small, each verdict changes the count a great deal.
Confinement After Conviction
Of the 21 convictions, 71% included confinement. The median confinement was 5 months, the same as the median of 5 months for 2024. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers all charges in the case.
Sentences under 6 months made up 43% of convictions, compared with 38% for the year. 6 convictions (29%) had no confinement, compared with 25%. Sentences longer than one year came in 4 of 21 convictions (19%), compared with 22%. Of those, 1 (5%) was 5 years or more. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement.
Few sentences were in the middle ranges. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 2 convictions (10%), compared with 15% for the year. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 3 convictions (14%), compared with 15%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 6 | 29% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 9 | 43% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 10% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 14% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 1 | 5% | 7% |
Punitive Discharges
Of 20 convicted enlisted members, 13 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (65%). That was higher than the 58% for the year. Of those 13, 3 were dishonorable discharges. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
From June 2023 to June 2024
Both months had 27 cases. The contested share went from 29% to 32%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 0 of 7 to 4 of 8.
Sentences were lighter in June 2024. Convictions with confinement went from 83% to 71%. The median confinement went from 9 months to 5 months, and punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 73% to 65%. General courts-martial went from 48% of cases to 33%. A few cases can change percentages in groups this small, so these comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| June 2023 | June 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 27 | 27 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 29% | 32% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 0 of 7 | 4 of 8 |
| Convictions with confinement | 83% | 71% |
| Median confinement | 9 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 73% | 65% |
| General courts-martial | 48% | 33% |
Court Level and Rank
General courts-martial, which can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, made up 33% of the month (9 of 27). The rest were special courts-martial, which cap confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with confinement capped at six months and no punitive discharge.
Among the accused with rank recorded, 16 were junior enlisted, 7 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. The group was more junior than the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024.
Where the Trials Took Place
San Diego, California, tried 7 cases. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 5, and Camp Pendleton, California, tried 4. Quantico, Virginia, and MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina, tried 1 each. These five account for 67% 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 Leave Out
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms. Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
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 2024 (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 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, July 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2024 (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.