What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in November 2024
The records show 23 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2024. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 43% of them, compared with 22% for all of 2024. Punitive discharges were less common than across the year: 45% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 58%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Year › November 2024
Short answer: The records show 23 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in November 2024. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 43% of them, compared with 22% for all of 2024. Punitive discharges were less common than across the year: 45% of convicted enlisted members, compared with 58%. Long confinement was more common.
The General Article Was the Most Common Charge
All 23 records list their charges, and each article is counted once per case. Article 134 (general article) appeared in 10 cases (43%), compared with 22% across the Navy and Marine Corps in 2024.
Several less common articles also appeared more often than across the year. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 17% of cases, compared with 7%. Article 82 (soliciting) appeared in 13%, compared with 2%, and Article 86 (AWOL) appeared in 13%, compared with 4%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 13%, compared with 5%. Article 85 (desertion) appeared in 9%, compared with 1%. Article 128b (domestic violence) appeared in 17%, compared with 13%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 10 | 43% | 22% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 4 | 17% | 7% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 4 | 17% | 13% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 3 | 13% | 4% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 13% | 16% |
| Art. 82 Soliciting | 3 | 13% | 2% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 13% | 5% |
| Art. 85 Desertion | 2 | 9% | 1% |
A Short Median and Some Very Long Sentences
Of the 21 convictions, 95% included confinement. The median confinement was 4 months, compared with a median of 5 months for 2024. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 5.5 years or longer, so the month had both many short sentences and several very long ones.
These are adjudged sentences: the sentence announced at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Sentences at Both Ends of the Range
Sentences under 6 months made up 57% of convictions, compared with 38% for the year. At the other end, 5 convictions were 5 years or more (24%), compared with 7%. Few sentences were in between: 1 conviction was from 6 months to 1 year, and 2 were more than 1 year and under 5 years.
Sentences longer than one year came in 7 of 21 convictions (33%), more often than the 22% for the year. Only 1 conviction had no confinement (5%), compared with 25% for 2024.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 1 | 5% | 25% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 57% | 38% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 1 | 5% | 15% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 2 | 10% | 15% |
| 5 years or more | 5 | 24% | 7% |
More General Courts-Martial
There were 12 general courts-martial, 52% of the month, compared with 38% for the year. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial cannot impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge.
The general courts-martial had a median confinement of 2 years. The 11 special courts-martial had a median of 2 months. Contested cases made up 33% of the general courts-martial and 10% of the special courts-martial.
Fewer Punitive Discharges, Mostly Dishonorable
Of 20 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (45%). That was lower than the 58% for the year. Of those 9, 7 were dishonorable discharges, the more severe type. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation.
Pleas, Verdicts, and Rank
Pleas are listed for 22 of the 23 cases: 17 guilty pleas and 5 contested cases, where the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 23% was lower than the 34% for 2024. Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal.
The accused included 12 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 10 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 officer or warrant officer. The group was more senior than the year, when 58% of the accused were junior enlisted.
November 2023 and November 2024
Both months had 23 cases. The contested share went from 39% to 23%. The median confinement went from 6 months to 4 months, and punitive discharges went from 68% to 45%. Convictions with confinement went from 68% to 95%, and general courts-martial went from 35% to 52%.
In a month this small, a few cases can change any figure, so these comparisons show direction only.
| November 2023 | November 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 23 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 39% | 23% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 9 | 1 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 68% | 95% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 68% | 45% |
| General courts-martial | 35% | 52% |
Rules in Transition
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as 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. The records give trial dates only, so this month can include cases under both the old and new rules. The records cannot show whether either change affected these figures.
Locations and Limits
Jacksonville, Florida, tried 4 cases. Bremerton, Washington, MCAS Miramar, California, Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 2 each. Together these five account for 52% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind, so a high count alone says nothing about a particular base. Offense dates, nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and plea terms are not in these records.
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 2024 (23 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, October 2024: The Month in Review (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2024 (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.