Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, November 2025: The Month in Review
The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 16 courts-martial tried in November 2025. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 31% of cases, compared with 21% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2025.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Year › November 2025
Short answer: The Navy and Marine Corps records hold 16 courts-martial tried in November 2025. Article 134, the general article, was charged in 31% of cases, compared with 21% for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2025. Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 7 received a punitive discharge (50%), compared with 46% for the year.
The General Article Was the Most Common Charge
All 16 records list the charges. Each article counts once per case, so one case can appear under more than one article.
Article 134 appeared in 5 cases (31%), compared with 21% for the year. Article 133 (conduct unbecoming an officer) and Article 82 (soliciting) each appeared in 2 cases (12%), compared with 2% for the year. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) also appeared in 2 cases (12%), compared with 4%.
Article 128 (assault) appeared in 2 cases (12%), lower than the 16% for the year. Article 121 (larceny), Article 81 (conspiracy), and Article 80 (attempts) each appeared in 1 case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps for all of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 31% | 21% |
| Art. 133 Conduct unbecoming an officer | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 82 Soliciting | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 2 | 12% | 16% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 2 | 12% | 4% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 1 | 6% | 8% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 1 | 6% | 6% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 1 | 6% | 8% |
Officers Among the Accused
The accused were 10 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 4 NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 2 officers or warrant officers. That mix is similar to the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2025, when 62% of the accused were junior enlisted.
Both officers or warrant officers were convicted, and neither was dismissed. A dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge.
Discharges for Enlisted Members
Among 14 convicted enlisted members, 7 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (50%). Of those 7, 3 were dishonorable discharges. The rate for the year was 46%.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Confinement Terms
Confinement was part of 69% of the 16 convictions. The median confinement was 4 months, the same as for the Navy and Marine Corps in all of 2025. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 7 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences. They cover every charge in the case and come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Pleas and Court Level
Contested cases, with a not-guilty or mixed plea, made up 38% of the cases with a plea recorded: 6 contested and 10 guilty pleas. The contested share for the year was 37%, about the same. None of the 6 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
General courts-martial made up 25% of the cases (4 of 16), and special courts-martial made up the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge or dismissal.
November 2024 Compared With November 2025
November 2024 had 23 cases, and November 2025 had 16. The median confinement stayed at 4 months. Convictions with confinement went from 95% to 69%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 45% to 50%.
The contested share went from 23% to 38%, and the general court-martial share went from 52% to 25%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 1 of 5 to 0 of 6. A few cases can change any of these figures.
| November 2024 | November 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 23% | 38% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 1 of 5 | 0 of 6 |
| Convictions with confinement | 95% | 69% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 4 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 45% | 50% |
| General courts-martial | 52% | 25% |
What These Records Leave Out
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder, and new sentencing parameters apply to offenses after December 27, 2023. These records give trial dates, not offense dates, so they do not show which rules applied to each case.
The records also do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled through nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
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 2025 (16 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 2025 at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: 33 Cases (previous / next)
- What the Navy-Marine Corps Tried in December 2025 (previous / next)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial in 2025: 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.