Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, October 2024: The Month in Review

Trends › By Year › October 2024

Based on 42 cases · October 2024 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

Longer Confinement Than the Year

Of the 42 cases, 38 ended in a conviction on at least one charge. Of those 38 sentences, 27 included confinement (71%). The median confinement was 9 months, compared with 5 months for the Navy and Marine Corps across 2024. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in a case.

Sentences from 6 months to 1 year made up 24% of convictions, compared with 15% for the year. Sentences under 6 months made up 24%, compared with 38%. 4 convictions were 5 years or more (11%, compared with 7%).

Sentences Over 1 Year and the Court Levels

Sentences longer than one year came in 9 of 38 convictions (24%), about the same as the 22% for 2024. 11 convictions had no confinement (29%), compared with 25%. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

There were 16 general courts-martial and 26 special courts-martial. The general share of 38% was the same as the year. At the general courts-martial, 87% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 years. At the special courts-martial, 61% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 3 months.

Orders Violations and Sexual Assault Were More Common

Charges are listed for 41 of the 42 cases, and a case is counted under every article it charges. Article 92 (failure to obey order or regulation) was the most common charge, in 9 cases (22%), compared with 16% for 2024. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 5 cases (12%), compared with 7%.

Article 134 (general article) appeared in 8 cases (20%), about the same as its 22% for the year. Article 128 (assault) and Article 112a (wrongful use, possession of controlled substances) appeared in 7 cases each (17%), compared with 16% and 14%. Article 128b (domestic violence) was less common, 5% compared with 13%.

Convictions on the Top Charges

All 8 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 1.8 years. Article 92 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 7 of 9 cases, the lowest rate among the top charges, with a median of 10 months.

A case can include both articles, or end with a conviction on one and an acquittal on another, so these rows overlap.

Pleas and Acquittals

Pleas are listed for 39 of the 42 cases: 28 guilty pleas and 11 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The contested share of 28% was lower than the 34% for 2024.

Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 3 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. Another 5 ended with acquittals on some charges and convictions on others. The full acquittal rate of 27% was the same as the 27% for the year.

Punitive Discharges

Of 36 convicted enlisted members, 24 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (67%). That was higher than the 58% for 2024. Of those 24, 10 were dishonorable discharges. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation later.

Among the accused with rank recorded, 22 were junior enlisted, 17 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. That mix was similar to the year.

Changes From October 2023

October 2023 had 26 cases, and October 2024 had 42. The median confinement went from 1.2 years to 9 months, and general courts-martial went from 50% to 38% of cases. Punitive discharges went from 57% to 67%. The contested share went from 20% to 28%, and convictions with confinement went from 67% to 71%. Full acquittals went from 1 of 5 to 3 of 11.

Small monthly groups can change with a few cases, so these comparisons show direction rather than precise change.

New Rules and Missing Offense Dates

Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses, including 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 the changes affected any figure.

Bases and Limits

Camp Pendleton, California, and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, tried 7 cases each. Quantico, Virginia, tried 5. Norfolk, Virginia, and San Diego, California, tried 4 each. Together these five account for 64% of the month. Larger installations try more cases of every kind.

Trial records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, or conduct handled outside a court-martial.

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.

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.