Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
Norfolk, Virginia tried 205 courts-martial in 2019–2023. Of 70 contested cases that reached a verdict, 29 ended in a full acquittal (41%), compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 38% of cases, compared with 31%.
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Trends › By Installation › Norfolk, Virginia › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Norfolk, Virginia tried 205 courts-martial in 2019–2023. Of 70 contested cases that reached a verdict, 29 ended in a full acquittal (41%), compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 128 (assault) was charged in 38% of cases, compared with 31%. Most measures were about the same as in 2013–2018, including a median confinement of 6 months in both periods.
More Full Acquittals Than the Service Rate
Contested cases at Norfolk ended in a full acquittal more often than elsewhere. Of 70 contested cases that reached a verdict, 29 were full acquittals (41%), compared with 29% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Another 14 ended in a partial acquittal, in which the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another.
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Plea records cover 202 of the 205 cases: 132 guilty pleas and 70 contested. The contested share was 35%, compared with 31% service-wide.
Convictions by Charge
Conviction rates were different for each charge. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 38 cases and ended in a conviction on that article in 20 (53%). The median confinement for those convictions was 1.3 years. Article 128 (assault) ended in a conviction in 60 of 76 cases (79%), with a median of 6 months.
Article 134, the general article, ended in a conviction in 25 of 26 cases (96%), with a median of 1.2 years. Article 112a (drug offenses) ended in a conviction in 46 of 51 cases (90%), with a median of 4 months. A case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.
Guilty pleas were also different by charge. Cases charging Article 112a ended in a guilty plea 78% of the time (39 of 50), the most among the top charges. Cases charging Article 120 ended in a guilty plea 27% of the time (10 of 37). The records do not explain why an accused pleaded guilty or not guilty.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 76 | 60 (79%) | 6 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 51 | 46 (90%) | 4 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 38 | 20 (53%) | 1.3 years |
| Art. 134 General article | 26 | 25 (96%) | 1.2 years |
Most Measures Were About the Same as 2013–2018
The 2013–2018 records hold 308 cases over 6 years, about 51 a year. Since then, there have been about 41 a year, counting full years only. The contested share went from 34% to 35%. Median confinement stayed at 6 months.
Some measures changed slightly. Convictions with any confinement went from 87% to 78%. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 57% to 62%. General courts-martial went from 50% of cases to 44%. Full acquittals in contested cases that reached a verdict went from 45 of 104 to 29 of 70. A few cases can change these percentages, so they show direction more than precision.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 308 | 205 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 34% | 35% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 45 of 104 | 29 of 70 |
| Convictions with confinement | 87% | 78% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 57% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 50% | 44% |
Assault and Desertion Were Charged More Often
Charges are listed in 201 of the 205 records, and each article counts once per case. Article 128 was charged in 38% of cases, compared with 31% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 85 (desertion) was charged in 9%, compared with 2%. Article 120 was charged in 19%, compared with 14%.
Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was charged less often: 11%, compared with 18%. Article 134 was also less common: 13%, compared with 18%. Article 112a was charged in 25% of cases, the same as the service share.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 76 | 38% | 31% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 51 | 25% | 25% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 38 | 19% | 14% |
| Art. 134 General article | 26 | 13% | 18% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 23 | 11% | 18% |
| Art. 85 Desertion | 18 | 9% | 2% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 18 | 9% | 7% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 17 | 8% | 9% |
Fewer Long Sentences
Of 175 convictions, 137 included confinement (78%). The median confinement was 6 months, the same as service-wide. A quarter of sentences were 1 year or more. There was no confinement in 38 convictions (22%), compared with 17% across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Sentences longer than one year were adjudged in 29 of 175 convictions (17%), less often than the 24% service-wide. Of those, 9 (5%) were 5 years or more. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 38 | 22% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 68 | 39% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 40 | 23% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 20 | 11% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 9 | 5% | 5% |
Punitive Discharges and Dismissals
A punitive discharge followed 62% of enlisted convictions: 78 bad-conduct and 21 dishonorable. The share across the Navy and Marine Corps was 63%. The records show 12 convicted officers or warrant officers, and 2 were dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without one does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level and Rank
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is capped at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Norfolk held 91 general courts-martial (44%, the same share as elsewhere in the Navy and Marine Corps). At those, 88% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1 year. At its 114 special courts-martial, 72% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 3 months.
The accused included 102 junior enlisted members, 86 NCOs, and 14 officers. That is a more senior group than the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.
San Diego and Bremerton
San Diego, California (173 cases) and Bremerton, Washington (153 cases) tried a similar number of cases in these years. Norfolk had the most cases of the 3. It also had the highest contested share, 35%, compared with 30% and 29%. Its punitive discharge share, 62%, was higher than the 55% and 42% at the other 2. Its median confinement, 6 months, was the same as San Diego's and longer than Bremerton's 4 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk, Virginia | 205 | 35% | 29 of 70 | 6 months | 62% |
| San Diego, California | 173 | 30% | 18 of 52 | 6 months | 55% |
| Bremerton, Washington | 153 | 29% | 14 of 43 | 4 months | 42% |
Cases by Year and What the Records Do Not Show
The data holds 51 cases in 2019, 29 in 2020, 46 in 2021, 50 in 2022, and 29 in 2023. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum, so plea figures use only the records that list them. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Norfolk, Virginia in 2013–2018 (308) and 2019–2023 (205).
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
- Norfolk, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 308 Cases
- What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023? 205 Courts-Martial
- What Was Tried at Norfolk, Virginia, 2024–2026? 77 Courts-Martial
- Article 128 Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2013–2018: 122 Courts-Martial
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Norfolk, Virginia, 2019–2023
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
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.