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
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Of 18 people sentenced in fiscal year 2018 with §2Q1.3 as the primary guideline, 13 (72%) received probation only and 5 (28%) were sent to prison. The median prison term for those 5 was 1 months. Another 9 sentences (50%) were below the guideline range without a request from the government.
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 34 people were sentenced in federal court with §2Q1.3 as the primary guideline. Of those, 22 (65%) received probation only, and 7 (21%) were sent to prison, with a median prison term of 9 months. This was the largest single-year group for this guideline from fiscal year 2016 to
§2Q1.3 Mishandling of Other Environmental Pollutants: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 24 people were sentenced under §2Q1.3. Probation only was the most common sentence: 13 people (54%) received it, while 8 (33%) were sentenced to prison. The median prison term was 2.5 months, and a fine was ordered for 18 people (75%).
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, the median prison term under §2M5.3 was 101 months (8.4 years) for the 11 people sentenced, the lowest yearly median in the 2016 to 2025 series. After a guilty plea the median was 96 months, and after a trial it was 232.5 months, based on 2 people.
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 21 people were sentenced under §2M5.3, and every one received a prison term and supervised release. The median prison term was 144 months (12 years), which equals the median for the guideline across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The plea and trial medians were about the same.
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 8 of the 19 people sentenced under §2M5.3 (42%) received a sentence within the guideline range, and 8 (42%) received one below the range at the government's request. All 19 went to prison, with a median term of 180 months (15 years).
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 7 of the 10 people sentenced under §2M5.3 (70%) pleaded guilty, the lowest plea share in the 2016 to 2025 series. The other 3 were convicted after a trial. All 10 received prison, with a median of 137 months (11.4 years).
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 11 people were sentenced under §2M5.3, and all 11 were ordered to serve supervised release. The median prison term was 180 months (15 years). The 2 people convicted after a trial had a median of 415 months, compared with 168 months after a guilty plea.
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Among the 17 people sentenced under §2M5.3 in fiscal year 2019, the median prison term was 180 months (15 years). The median after a guilty plea, 184 months, was slightly higher than the median after a trial, 180 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 3 people (18%).
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Fiscal year 2018 had 28 people sentenced under §2M5.3, the largest count in the 2016 to 2025 series, and all 28 received a prison term. The median prison term was 180 months (15 years), the same after a guilty plea as after a trial. Supervised release for life was ordered for 11 people (39%).
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 62% of the 21 people sentenced under §2M5.3 received a sentence below the guideline range without a government request: 13 people. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years) for the 20 people who went to prison, and 4 people were convicted after a trial.
§2M5.3 Providing Material Support or Resources to Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations or Specially Designated Global Terrorists, or For a Terrorist Purpose: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
All 18 people sentenced in fiscal year 2016 with §2M5.3 as the primary guideline received a prison term. The median prison term was 210 months (17.5 years), which is higher than the 144-month median for the guideline across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. A trial conviction applied to 3 of the 18.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
Get the free newsletter.
Clips, audiograms and the opening of every issue, free.