Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, May 2024: The Month in Review
The records show 45 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2024. Larceny under Article 121 was charged in 16% of them, compared with 8% for all of 2024. The median confinement was 6 months, slightly higher than the 5 months for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Short answer: The records show 45 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in May 2024. Larceny under Article 121 was charged in 16% of them, compared with 8% for all of 2024. The median confinement was 6 months, slightly higher than the 5 months for the year.
Larceny and Sexual Assault Were Charged More Often
All 45 records list charges, and a case with several articles is counted under each one. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 7 cases (16%), compared with 8% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2024. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 6 cases (13%), compared with 7%. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 11% of cases, compared with 7%.
Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances), Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation), and Article 134 (general article) appeared in 7 cases each. The general article was lower than its 22% for the year. The drug and orders articles were about the same as their shares for the year. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 3 cases (7%), compared with 13%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 7 | 16% | 14% |
| Art. 134 General article | 7 | 16% | 22% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 7 | 16% | 16% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 7 | 16% | 8% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 6 | 13% | 7% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 6 | 13% | 16% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 5 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 7% | 13% |
Sentences About the Same as 2024
Of 40 convictions, 75% included confinement. The median confinement was 6 months, compared with 5 months for the full year. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 1.3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial and counted before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers all the charges in a case.
Sentences longer than one year came in 9 of 40 convictions (22%), the same as the 22% for 2024. 10 convictions (25%) had no confinement, also the same as the year. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 20%, compared with 15%. 3 convictions were 5 years or more (8%).
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 10 | 25% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 13 | 32% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 8 | 20% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 6 | 15% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 8% | 7% |
Sentences by Court Level
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including a dishonorable discharge and long confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In May 2024, 19 cases were general courts-martial (42%) and 26 were special courts-martial.
The median confinement was 1.5 years at the general courts-martial and 59 days at the special courts-martial. The contested share was about the same at both levels: 37% at general courts-martial and 36% at special courts-martial.
Verdicts in Contested Cases
Of the 44 records with a plea, 28 accused pleaded guilty and 16 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 36%, about the same as the 34% for 2024.
Of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. Another 6 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. The full acquittal rate of 25% was about the same as the 27% for the year.
Punitive Discharges and Officers
A punitive discharge was part of 60% of enlisted convictions: 10 bad-conduct discharges and 11 dishonorable discharges. The share for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2024 was 58%. The month also had 4 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 1 was dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
A More Senior Group of Accused
Among the accused with rank recorded, 24 were junior enlisted, 16 were NCOs, and 4 were officers. The group was more senior than the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024.
Changes Since May 2023
May 2023 had 31 cases, and May 2024 had 45. The median confinement went from 1 year to 6 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 82% to 60%, and convictions with confinement went from 92% to 75%. General courts-martial went from 68% to 42% of cases.
The contested share was about the same, 34% and 36%. Full acquittals went from 3 of 9 to 4 of 16. Monthly groups are small, so these comparisons show direction, not precise change.
| May 2023 | May 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 31 | 45 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 34% | 36% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 3 of 9 | 4 of 16 |
| Convictions with confinement | 92% | 75% |
| Median confinement | 1 year | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 82% | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 68% | 42% |
Rules That Changed Around This Time
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses. Covered offenses include sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding in a case is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters.
Both rules depend on the offense date, and the records give only trial dates. Trials in 2024 therefore include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected these numbers.
Locations and Limits
San Diego, California, tried 7 cases, and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, tried 5. Camp Pendleton, California, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C., tried 4 each. These 5 locations account for 53% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.
Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not in these records. The records also 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 May 2024 (45 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, April 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- June 2024 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 27 Cases (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.