November 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 42 Cases
The records show 42 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2019. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2019. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 26% of cases, compared with 17% for the year.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › November 2019
Short answer: The records show 42 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2019. The median confinement was 3 months, compared with 6 months for all of 2019. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) appeared in 26% of cases, compared with 17% for the year.
Most Sentences Were Short
Of 37 convictions, 81% included confinement. The median confinement was 3 months. Across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2019, the median was 6 months. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 5 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 62% of convictions, compared with 35% for the year. Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up only 5%, compared with 23%.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 7 | 19% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 23 | 62% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 2 | 5% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3 | 8% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 5% | 5% |
Few Sentences Over 1 Year
Sentences longer than one year came in 5 of 37 convictions (14%), less often than the 24% for 2019. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years made up 8%, compared with 19%. 2 convictions were 5 years or more (5%), the same share as the year. 7 convictions had no confinement (19%), compared with 18%.
Most convictions this month ended with a few months of confinement or none, and long sentences were uncommon. The comparison with the year is based on a small group, so a few cases could change it.
Mostly Special Courts-Martial
Special courts-martial made up 30 of the 42 cases, and general courts-martial made up 12. The general share was 29%, lower than the 43% for the year. A special court-martial cannot impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
The median confinement was 1.5 years at the general courts-martial and 2 months at the special courts-martial.
Fewer Punitive Discharges
A punitive discharge was part of 46% of enlisted convictions: 14 bad-conduct discharges and 2 dishonorable discharges. The share for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2019 was 60%. The 2 convicted officers or warrant officers this month were not dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.
Orders and Drug Charges Were More Common
Charges are listed for 38 of the 42 records, and each article is counted once per case. Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) was the most common charge, in 14 cases (37%), compared with 30% for 2019. Article 92 appeared in 10 cases (26%), compared with 17%.
Article 128 (assault) also appeared in 10 cases, but that 26% was lower than its 34% for the year. Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 11% of cases, compared with 7%. Article 121 (larceny) appeared in 5%, compared with 11%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 37% | 30% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 26% | 17% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 26% | 34% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 13% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 4 | 11% | 7% |
| Art. 134 General article | 3 | 8% | 12% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 5% | 11% |
| Art. 114 Dueling before 2019, endangerment since | 2 | 5% | 3% |
Convictions on the Most Common Charges
Article 112a cases ended in a conviction on that article in 13 of 14 cases (93%), with a median confinement of 55 days. Article 92 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 9 of 10 cases (90%), with a median of 3 months. Article 128 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 8 of 10 cases (80%), with a median of 4 months. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 14 | 13 (93%) | 55 days |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 10 | 9 (90%) | 3 months |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 8 (80%) | 4 months |
Pleas, Where Recorded
Only 16 of the 42 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those, 10 accused pleaded guilty and 6 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea. The contested share was 38%, higher than the 28% for the year. Of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal.
Compared With November 2018
November 2018 had 37 cases, and November 2019 had 42. The median confinement went from 7 months to 3 months. Punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 65% to 46%. General courts-martial went from 38% to 29% of cases, and the contested share went from 25% to 38%.
In groups this size, a few cases can change the numbers, so the comparison shows direction only.
| November 2018 | November 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 37 | 42 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 25% | 38% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 4 | 3 of 6 |
| Convictions with confinement | 89% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 7 months | 3 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 65% | 46% |
| General courts-martial | 38% | 29% |
Rank, Bases, and Limits
Among the accused with rank recorded, 26 were junior enlisted, 13 were NCOs, and 2 were officers. The group was more junior than the year overall. Camp Pendleton, California, tried 9 cases, and Norfolk, Virginia, tried 6. San Diego, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 4 each, and MCAS Miramar, California, tried 3. Together these five account for 62% of the month.
Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count at one base does not show anything unusual there.
The records give trial dates but not offense dates. They do not include nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, 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 November 2019 (42 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)
- October 2019 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 52 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2019 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2019: 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.