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
§2A1.2 Second Degree Murder: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
All 52 people sentenced under §2A1.2 in fiscal year 2016 received a prison term, and the median was 210 months (17.5 years). That is longer than the 24 months for all federal cases that year, and lower than the 234 months for this guideline across fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 1 person received a life
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
90 people were sentenced under §2A6.2 in fiscal year 2025, the highest count in the table for fiscal years 2016 to 2025. 80 (89%) received a prison term, 7 (8%) received probation only, and the median prison term was 35.5 months (3 years).
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2024
In fiscal year 2024, 72 of the 73 people sentenced under §2A6.2 (99%) received a prison term, and the median was 38 months (3.2 years). 19 sentences (26%) were above the guideline range, and only 8 (11%) were below it at the government's request.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2023
In fiscal year 2023, 23 of the 74 people sentenced under §2A6.2 (31%) received a sentence within the guideline range, and 24 (32%) were below the range at the government's request. The median prison term was 34 months (2.8 years).
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2022
Of the 79 people sentenced under §2A6.2 in fiscal year 2022, 6 (8%) received probation only, and 72 (91%) were sentenced to prison with a median term of 33 months (2.8 years). 7 people were convicted after a trial, and their median prison term was 60 months.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2021
In fiscal year 2021, 55 people were sentenced under §2A6.2, and the median prison term was 31 months (2.6 years), the lowest median of any year in the table. 21 sentences (38%) were within the guideline range, and 53 people (96%) pleaded guilty.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2020
In fiscal year 2020, 63 people were sentenced under §2A6.2, and 61 of them (97%) received a prison term with a median of 33 months (2.8 years). The 5 people convicted after a trial had a median of 66 months, compared with 33 months after a guilty plea.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2019
In fiscal year 2019, 78 of the 80 people sentenced under §2A6.2 (98%) pleaded guilty, and 2 were convicted after a trial. 78 people (98%) received a prison term, and the median was 33 months (2.8 years).
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2018
63 people were sentenced under §2A6.2 in fiscal year 2018, compared with 43 in fiscal year 2017. 60 of them (95%) went to prison, and the median prison term was 38.5 months (3.2 years), the highest median of any year in the table.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2017
In fiscal year 2017, 23 of the 43 people sentenced under §2A6.2 (53%) received a sentence within the guideline range. That is a higher share than the 49% for all federal cases that year. The median prison term was 37 months (3.1 years), and 5 people were convicted after a trial.
§2A6.2 Stalking or Domestic Violence: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2016
In fiscal year 2016, 36 people were sentenced in federal court with §2A6.2 as the primary guideline. The median prison term was 24 months (2 years), the same as the 24 months for all federal cases that year and lower than the 35 months for this guideline across fiscal years 2016 to 2025.
§2K1.4 Arson: Federal Sentences, Fiscal Year 2025
All 76 people (100%) sentenced under §2K1.4 in fiscal year 2025 received a prison term, and all 76 were ordered to serve supervised release afterward. The median prison term was 60 months (5 years). 71 people (93%) pleaded guilty.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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