What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in May 2020
The records show 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2020, and all 35 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2020.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records show 35 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2020, and all 35 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2020. A punitive discharge was part of the sentence for 71% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 62% for the year.
Longer Sentences Than the Rest of 2020
Of the 35 convictions, 34 included confinement (97%). The median confinement was 9 months, longer than the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps across the year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. They were set at trial and are counted before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case, not only the most serious one.
How Long Were the Sentences?
Sentences longer than one year came in 13 of 35 convictions (37%), more often than the 26% for the year. Sentences of 5 years or more made up 3 convictions (9%, compared with 6%). Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 10 convictions (29%, compared with 20%).
Only 1 conviction had no confinement (3%), compared with 15% of convictions across 2020. Sentences under 6 months made up 37%, and sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 23%. Both were about the same as the shares for the year.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 3% | 15% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 37% | 36% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 23% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 29% | 20% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 9% | 6% |
More Punitive Discharges
For enlisted members, the punitive discharges are the bad-conduct discharge and the dishonorable discharge. Of 35 convicted enlisted members, 25 received one (71%). That rate was higher than the 62% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2020. Of the 25, 8 were dishonorable discharges.
No officers were tried this month. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Drug and General Article Charges Were More Common
All 35 records list charges, and one case can be counted under several articles. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) and Article 128 (assault) each appeared in 14 cases (40%). For drug charges, the share for the year was 30%. For assault, it was 36%.
Article 134, the general article, appeared in 8 cases (23%), compared with 13% for 2020. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) also appeared in 8 cases (23%), compared with 18%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 14% of cases, compared with 9%. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was less common, 11% compared with 16%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 14 | 40% | 36% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 40% | 30% |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 23% | 13% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 23% | 18% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 5 | 14% | 9% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 5 | 14% | 11% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 4 | 11% | 16% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 4 | 11% | 12% |
Every Case on the Top Charges Ended in Conviction
For each of the 4 articles in the table, every case charging it ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement differed by charge: 5 months for assault, 6 months for drug offenses, 1 year for failure to obey an order, and 1.5 years for the general article.
A case can include several of these articles, so the rows overlap. Each median is based on the full sentence in those cases.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 14 | 14 (100%) | 5 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 14 (100%) | 6 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 1.5 years |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 8 (8 of 8) | 1 year |
Only 1 Contested Case
Only 13 of the 35 records list a plea. Of those, 12 were guilty pleas and 1 was a not-guilty or mixed plea, which makes the case contested. The contested share of 8% compares with 30% for all of 2020. Navy and Marine Corps records from before December 2020 often omit the plea, so this share is based on a small number of records.
Court Level and Rank
There were 15 general courts-martial and 20 special courts-martial. The general share of 43% was about the same as the 41% for the year. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial is limited to one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The median confinement was 1.5 years at the general level and 3 months at the special level.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 80% of the accused, and NCOs made up 20%. For the full year, junior enlisted members made up 64%, so this month's group was more junior.
Compared With May 2019
May 2019 had 41 cases, and May 2020 had 35. The median confinement went from 6 months to 9 months. Convictions with confinement went from 79% to 97%, and punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 49% to 71%. The contested share went from 16% to 8%. General courts-martial were about the same, 41% and 43%.
Monthly counts this small can change with a few cases, so these comparisons show direction rather than exact change.
| May 2019 | May 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 41 | 35 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 16% | 8% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 4 | 0 of 1 |
| Convictions with confinement | 79% | 97% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 9 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 49% | 71% |
| General courts-martial | 41% | 43% |
Locations and Limits
Camp Pendleton, California, tried 9 cases. Bremerton, Washington, tried 5, and Twentynine Palms, California, tried 4. Norfolk, Virginia, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, tried 3 each. These five locations account for 69% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
The records give trial dates but not offense dates. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included, and the records do not describe the evidence or any 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 May 2020 (35 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)
- April 2020 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 18 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in June 2020 (previous / next)
- The Navy-Marine Corps Court-Martial Year, 2020 (the whole year)
- April 2018 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 43 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.