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
§2J1.4 Impersonation: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 17 people were sentenced in federal court with §2J1.4 (Impersonation) as the primary guideline. Sentences were within the guideline range for 14 of them (82%), which is higher than the 49% for all guidelines that year. The median prison term was 12 months, and 8 people (47%) rec
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 12 people were sentenced under §2C1.2, and 7 of them (58%) received probation only. 4 (33%) were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 9 months. All 12 pleaded guilty.
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
Fiscal year 2022 had 15 people sentenced under §2C1.2. 8 (53%) received prison terms, with a median of 8.5 months. A fine was ordered for 8 people (53%), more often than restitution (3 people, 20%).
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 13 people were sentenced in federal court under §2C1.2. Of the 13, 5 (38%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months, and 12 (92%) pleaded guilty. The count is small, and the one person convicted after a trial is the only case behind any plea-and-trial comparison.
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, 10 people were sentenced in federal court under §2C1.2. 5 received a prison term and 5 received probation only. The median prison term was 14 months, and all 10 pleaded guilty.
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 13 people were sentenced under §2C1.2. Of the 13, 10 (77%) pleaded guilty and 3 were convicted after a trial, which is a higher trial share than in other years of this guideline. The median prison term was 15 months, and 9 people (69%) received prison terms.
§2C1.2 Offering, Giving, Soliciting, or Receiving a Gratuity: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 24 people were sentenced in federal court with §2C1.2 as the primary guideline, and all 24 (100%) pleaded guilty. In all, 12 received prison terms, with a median of 16.5 months. Most sentences were below the guideline range: 13 at the government's request and 7 without a request
§2N1.1 Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
12 people were sentenced under §2N1.1 in fiscal year 2025. 10 of them (83%) received a prison term, and the median was 12 months. All 12 pleaded guilty, and 1 sentence (8%) was within the guideline range.
§2N1.1 Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, the median prison term under §2N1.1 was 13 months, lower than in each of the 4 years before it in the yearly table. 6 of the 10 people sentenced (60%) received prison, 3 (30%) received probation only, and all 10 pleaded guilty.
§2N1.1 Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Fiscal year 2023 had 19 people sentenced under §2N1.1, the largest count in the yearly table. 16 (84%) received prison, with a median of 36 months, and all 19 pleaded guilty. 8 sentences (42%) were below the guideline range at the government's request.
§2N1.1 Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 14 people were sentenced under §2N1.1, and 13 (93%) pleaded guilty. The median prison term was 36 months (3 years), and 13 of the 14 (93%) were sent to prison. 2 sentences (14%) were within the guideline range.
§2N1.1 Tampering or Attempting to Tamper Involving Risk of Death or Bodily Injury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 15 people were sentenced under §2N1.1. 13 (87%) received a prison term with a median of 24 months, and all 15 pleaded guilty. None of the 15 sentences was within the guideline range: 5 were below it at the government's request and 10 without one.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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