Military Trial Results · Analysis
Understanding Trends in Military Practice
Analysis of real court-martial records: what gets charged, how cases end, what sentences look like, how experienced the lawyers of record were, and what changed when the law did.
Every number is computed from the Military Trial Results data, built from the services' public court-martial records. Each post says how many cases it rests on, the years covered, and how we counted. Read how this data was built before citing it.
Browse the Analysis
- By InstallationBases and regions, by time period
- By OffenseUCMJ articles, rising and falling charges
- By ServiceArmy, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps
- By YearWhat each year and month looked like
- SentencesConfinement, discharges, judge alone vs. members
- Counsel ExperiencePrior cases of the lawyers of record
- Law ChangesBefore and after the major reforms
- Episode CompanionsThe numbers behind podcast episodes
Federal Prosecution Analysis
How do federal prosecutions compare with courts-martial? These posts use the U.S. Sentencing Commission's records of everyone sentenced in federal court and the Federal Judicial Center's records of every federal defendant whose case ended, including dismissals and acquittals, for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. They cover sentences, guilty pleas, trials and acquittals, mandatory minimums, and supervised release, offense by offense. Where a federal crime has a close counterpart in the UCMJ, the post sets the two side by side. Where it doesn't, the post reports the federal numbers on their own. For how military law has moved toward the federal system, start with Military Moves Toward Sentencing Guidelines to Mirror the Federal System.
Latest Analysis
§2E1.4 Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, the median prison term under guideline §2E1.4, "Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire," was 120 months for the 11 people sentenced. That is the highest median in the yearly table for this guideline. Only 18% of the sentences were within the g
§2E1.4 Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Under guideline §2E1.4, "Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire," 11 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017, and the median prison term was 87 months. That is the same as the median for all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under this guideline. 64% of
§2E1.4 Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 11 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2E1.4, "Use of Interstate Commerce Facilities in the Commission of Murder-For-Hire." All 11 pleaded guilty and all 11 received a prison term, with a median of 66 months. That median is lower than the 87 months for all fi
§2T3.1 Evading Import Duties or Restrictions (Smuggling): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 12 people were sentenced in federal court with §2T3.1 as the primary guideline. 10 of them (83%) received a prison term, and the median was 4.4 months. That share sent to prison is higher than the 52% for all fiscal years 2016 to 2025 under this guideline.
§2T3.1 Evading Import Duties or Restrictions (Smuggling): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
The 14 people sentenced in fiscal year 2022 under guideline §2T3.1 had a median prison term of 24 months among the 7 who were sent to prison. The other 7 (50%) received probation only. That median is the highest in the yearly table for this guideline, where the all-years median is 5.1 months.
§2T3.1 Evading Import Duties or Restrictions (Smuggling): Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 10 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2T3.1, which the Sentencing Guidelines Manual titles "Evading Import Duties or Restrictions (Smuggling); Receiving or Trafficking in Smuggled Property." Only 3 of the 10 (30%) received a prison term, and 6 (60%) received
§2E2.1 Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 16 people were sentenced under §2E2.1, and 14 (88%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 29 months (2.4 years), but the range was wide: a quarter received 50.2 months or more and a quarter received 3.2 months or less.
§2E2.1 Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Fiscal year 2018 had 18 people sentenced under §2E2.1, and 6 of them (33%) received a sentence above the guideline range. Of the 18, 16 (89%) received a prison term, with a median of 33 months (2.8 years).
§2E2.1 Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 14 people were sentenced under §2E2.1, and only 2 sentences (14%) were within the guideline range. Below the range without a government request were 7 (50%). The median prison term was 28 months (2.3 years), and 11 people (79%) received prison terms.
§2E2.1 Making or Financing an Extortionate Extension of Credit: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 11 people were sentenced in federal court under §2E2.1, the guideline for extortionate extensions of credit. Of the 11, 9 (82%) received a prison term, with a median of 24 months (2 years). A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 person (9%).
§2B3.3 Blackmail and Similar Forms of Extortion: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 8 of the 10 people sentenced under §2B3.3 (80%) received a prison term, but the median prison term was 4.5 months, lower than the 13.9 months across all years of this guideline. The count is small, and one year should not be read as a trend.
§2B3.3 Blackmail and Similar Forms of Extortion: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 10 people were sentenced under §2B3.3, and 6 (60%) received a prison term with a median of 13.7 months. The spread was wide: a quarter of the prison terms were 27.5 months or more, and a quarter were 1.9 months or less. Only 3 sentences (30%) were within the guideline range.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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