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
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 20 people were sentenced in federal court with guideline §2J1.3 as the primary guideline, and 16 of them (80%) received a prison term. The median prison term was 11 months. 19 of the 20 (95%) pleaded guilty, and every one of those pleas had a written plea agreement.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
16 of the 21 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.3 in fiscal year 2019 (76%) received a prison term, with a median prison term of 10 months. 18 of the 21 (86%) pleaded guilty. A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 1 person (5%).
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
29 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2018 with guideline §2J1.3 as the primary guideline. 18 of them (62%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 12 months. 4 sentences (14%) were above the guideline range.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
The median prison term under guideline §2J1.3 was 12 months in fiscal year 2017, for the 21 of 36 people (58%) who were sent to prison. 33 of the 36 (92%) pleaded guilty. 10 people (28%) received probation only.
§2J1.3 Perjury or Subornation of Perjury: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 22 of the 40 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.3 (55%) received a sentence below the guideline range without a government request. Only 10 (25%) were sentenced within the range. 24 of the 40 (60%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 8 months.
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
All 29 people sentenced under guideline §2A5.2 in fiscal year 2025 pleaded guilty (100%), and none went to trial. 21 of them (72%) received a prison term, with a median prison term of 8.4 months. 4 (14%) received probation only.
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 30 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A5.2 as the primary guideline. 22 of them (73%) received a prison term, and the median prison term was 10.5 months. 28 of the 30 (93%) pleaded guilty.
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
The median prison term under guideline §2A5.2 in fiscal year 2023 was 6 months, which is lower than the 8 months for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The Commission counted 20 people, and 15 (75%) were sentenced to prison. All 20 pleaded guilty.
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 14 of the 27 people sentenced under guideline §2A5.2 (52%) received a sentence within the guideline range, and 9 (33%) were below the range without a government request. The median prison term was 10 months. Restitution was ordered for 9 people (33%).
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 13 of the 25 people sentenced under guideline §2A5.2 (52%) went to prison, and the median prison term was 8 months. Of the 25 people, 24 (96%) pleaded guilty, and 29% of those pleas had no written plea agreement. No sentence was above the guideline range.
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, the U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 16 people sentenced under guideline §2A5.2, and all 16 pleaded guilty. Prison went to 11 of them (69%), and the median prison term was 10 months, higher than the 8 months for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. In criminal history, 44% were in the l
§2A5.2 Interference with Flight Crew Member or Flight Attendant: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Prison terms under guideline §2A5.2 in fiscal year 2019 varied widely. The median was 7 months, but a quarter of the 16 people sent to prison received 21 months or more, and a quarter received 2.6 months or less. The Commission counted 27 people, and 26 (96%) pleaded guilty.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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