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
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
Only 12 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," in fiscal year 2020, the smallest group in the yearly table. The median prison term was 100.5 months (8.4 years), and 67% of sentences (8 people) were within the guideline range. The group is too small to show a t
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 56% of the 27 people sentenced in federal court under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," received a sentence within the guideline range (15 people). The median prison term was 96 months (8 years). The 1 person convicted at trial and the people who pleaded guilty had similar terms
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
Fiscal year 2018 had the lowest median prison term in the yearly table for §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter": 83 months (6.9 years), for 23 people sentenced in federal court. The 1 person convicted at trial had a lower term (56 months) than the median for guilty pleas (90 months), though a single cas
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
The median prison term for the 30 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2017 under §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter," was 113.5 months (9.5 years). That is the highest yearly median in the table for this guideline. A total of 47% of sentences were above the guideline range, and no mandator
§2A1.3 Voluntary Manslaughter: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 27 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2A1.3, "Voluntary Manslaughter." All 27 received a prison term, and the median was 108 months (9 years). Restitution was ordered for 15 of them (56%), and 37% of sentences were above the guideline range.
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
In fiscal year 2025, 33 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder." People who pleaded guilty had a median prison term of 77 months, and the 8 people convicted at trial had a median of 180 months. The median for the whole group was 106 months (
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 43 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder." The median prison term was 120 months (10 years). A total of 2 people received life sentences, and 3 received supervised release for life.
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
Fiscal year 2023 had the lowest median prison term in the yearly table for §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder": 78 months (6.5 years), for 23 people sentenced in federal court. The records cannot show why, and a group this small does not establish a trend.
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
In fiscal year 2022, 27 people were sentenced in federal court under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder." A mandatory minimum applied to 9 of them (33%), and 56% of sentences were below the guideline range at the government's request. The median prison term was 120 months (10 years
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
The median prison term for the 22 people sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2021 under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder," was 144 months (12 years). That is the highest yearly median in the table for this guideline. In this year, people who pleaded guilty had a higher medi
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 94% of the 34 people sentenced in federal court under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder," pleaded guilty: 32 people. All 34 went to prison, with a median term of 120 months (10 years), and 1 received a life sentence.
§2A1.5 Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
Under §2A1.5, "Conspiracy or Solicitation to Commit Murder," 46 people were sentenced in federal court in fiscal year 2019, and 12 of them were convicted at trial. The median prison term was 124.7 months (10.4 years). One person received a life sentence.
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