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
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
Fiscal year 2021 had 22 people sentenced under §2M5.1, the largest yearly count in the 2016 to 2025 series. One person was convicted after a trial and received 63 months, while the median after a guilty plea was 12 months. The overall median prison term was 12.9 months.
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
No one sentenced under §2M5.1 in fiscal year 2020 received probation only. Of the 16 people, 15 (94%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 18.7 months, and all 16 pleaded guilty.
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 14 people were sentenced under §2M5.1, and 12 (86%) of them received a prison term with a median of 22.4 months. Sentences were within the guideline range for 3 people (21%), which is a larger share than in the years just before and after. All 14 pleaded guilty.
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
In fiscal year 2018, the median prison term under §2M5.1 was 24 months (2 years) for the 14 of 17 people (82%) who were sent to prison. That is higher than the 18.3-month median for the guideline across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. All 17 pleaded guilty.
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
Of the 19 people sentenced in fiscal year 2017 with §2M5.1 as the primary guideline, 18 (95%) pleaded guilty and 1 was convicted after a trial. The median prison term was 16.5 months for the 14 people sent to prison. Only 1 sentence (5%) was within the guideline range.
§2M5.1 Evasion of Export Controls: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 11 people were sentenced in federal court with §2M5.1 as the primary guideline, the smallest yearly count in the 2016 to 2025 series. Of the 11, 9 (82%) received prison, and the median prison term was 14 months. All 11 pleaded guilty.
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 11 people were sentenced under §2Q1.3. 5 (45%) were sent to prison and 5 (45%) received probation only, and the median prison term was 0 months. That median is based on 5 people.
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 10 people were sentenced with §2Q1.3 as the primary guideline. 3 (30%) received a prison term, with a median of 12 months, and 6 (60%) received probation only. All 10 pleaded guilty.
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 3 of the 13 people sentenced under §2Q1.3 (23%) were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 11.4 months. 9 (69%) received probation only. A mandatory minimum applied to 2 of the 13 (15%).
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 7 of the 11 people sentenced under §2Q1.3 (64%) received a sentence below the guideline range without a government request, and only 1 (9%) received a sentence within the range. 2 people (18%) were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 7.5 months. Probation only went to 8
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
All 13 people sentenced in fiscal year 2020 with §2Q1.3 as the primary guideline pleaded guilty. 5 (38%) received a prison term, with a median of 2 months, and 6 (46%) received probation only. With 13 people in the group, the figures describe a small number of cases.
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, only 3 of the 20 people sentenced under §2Q1.3 (15%) received a prison term, and 17 (85%) received probation only. The median prison term for the 3 was 15 months. The group is small, so the median describes very few people.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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