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
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
The median prison term under guideline §2E4.1 in fiscal year 2022 was 0.3 months, among the 6 of 12 people (50%) who were sent to prison. The other 6 (50%) received probation only. 11 of the 12 (92%) pleaded guilty.
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
3 of the 21 people sentenced under guideline §2E4.1 in fiscal year 2021 (14%) were sent to prison, and their median prison term was 24 months (2 years). 14 people (67%) received probation only. A mandatory minimum applied to 1 person (5%).
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Restitution was ordered for all 28 people (100%) sentenced under guideline §2E4.1 in fiscal year 2020. 23 of them (82%) received probation only, and 3 (11%) received a prison term. Only 2 sentences (7%) were within the guideline range.
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 17 of the 25 people sentenced under guideline §2E4.1 (68%) received probation only, and 5 (20%) received a prison term. The median prison term among those 5 was 2 months. All 25 pleaded guilty.
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
45 people were sentenced under guideline §2E4.1 in fiscal year 2018, the largest group in the 2016 to 2025 table. 36 of them (80%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 13.5 months. All 45 pleaded guilty.
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
All 29 people sentenced under guideline §2E4.1 in fiscal year 2017 pleaded guilty (100%). 21 of them (72%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months. Restitution was ordered for 22 (76%).
§2E4.1 Unlawful Conduct Relating to Contraband Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 28 people were sentenced in federal court with guideline §2E4.1 as the primary guideline. 16 of them (57%) received a prison term, with a median prison term of 8 months. Restitution was ordered for 18 (64%), and only 5 sentences (18%) were within the guideline range.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
The median prison term under guideline §2J1.3 in fiscal year 2025 was 4 months, among the 7 of 13 people (54%) who were sent to prison. 12 of the 13 (92%) pleaded guilty. 5 people (38%) received probation only.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
The median prison term under guideline §2J1.3 in fiscal year 2024 was 7.1 months, for the 13 of 20 people (65%) who were sent to prison. The terms varied widely: a quarter received 24 months or more, and a quarter received 0.1 months or less.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 7 of the 15 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.3 (47%) received probation only, and 6 (40%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 14 months. 9 sentences (60%) were below the guideline range without a government request.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
Only 5 of the 13 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.3 in fiscal year 2022 (38%) received a prison term. The median prison term among those 5 was 15 months. 12 of the 13 (92%) pleaded guilty, and 2 people (15%) received probation only.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
9 of the 18 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.3 in fiscal year 2021 (50%) received a prison term, and 5 (28%) received probation only. The median prison term was 12 months. 17 of the 18 (94%) pleaded guilty.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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