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
16 U.S.C. 3373, Penalties and sanctions: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 71 federal defendants ended their cases with 16 U.S.C. 3373 as the most serious charge, and 48 (68%) of those charges were felonies. 67 (94%) pleaded guilty, and 68 (96%) were convicted. Of the 68 convicted, 12 (18%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median
18 U.S.C. 473, Dealing in counterfeit obligations or securities: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal courts closed 72 cases from fiscal years 2016 to 2025 in which 18 U.S.C. 473 was the most serious charge at the end. Of those, 59 (82%) pleaded guilty, 11 (15%) had their cases dismissed, and 2 (3%) went to trial, with 0 acquittals. Of the 61 convicted, 44 (72%) received a prison term on thi
18 U.S.C. 1832, Theft of trade secrets: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 16 federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 1832 that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 8 ended in an acquittal (50%). Across all 77 defendants, 43 (56%) pleaded guilty, 18 (23%) had their cases dismissed, and 16 (21%) went to trial. In total, 51 of the 77 (66%) were convicted.
49 U.S.C. 46506, Application of certain criminal laws to acts on aircraft: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Most federal charges under 49 U.S.C. 46506 were misdemeanors: 56 of 77 (73%) were Class A misdemeanors and 21 (27%) were felonies. Of the 66 people convicted, 26 (39%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 7 months. Guilty pleas ended 63 cases (82%), and 3 of the 6 trials ended in
31 U.S.C. 5316, Reports on exporting and importing monetary instruments: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2024
Under 31 U.S.C. 5316, 43 of the 60 convicted federal defendants (72%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median term of 18 months. Of all 77 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2024, 59 (77%) pleaded guilty, 17 (22%) had their cases dismissed, and 1 went to trial. That tr
33 U.S.C. 1908, Penalties for violations: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Private (retained) counsel represented 77 of the 79 federal defendants (97%) whose most serious charge at the end of the case was 33 U.S.C. 1908, in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 79, 73 (92%) pleaded guilty and 76 (96%) were convicted. Only 11 of the 76 convicted (14%) receiv
18 U.S.C. 157, Bankruptcy fraud: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 80 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 157, 75 (94%) were convicted. None of the 3 trials ended in an acquittal. A prison term on this charge followed in 36 of the 75 convictions (48%), and the median term was 19 months.
16 U.S.C. 1538, Prohibited acts: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
For 16 U.S.C. 1538, the Federal Judicial Center lists 81 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with that section as the most serious charge. 74 (91%) pleaded guilty and 75 (93%) were convicted. Of those convicted, 11 (15%) received a prison term on the charge, with a median of 3.
8 U.S.C. 1253, Penalties related to removal: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Every one of the 57 defendants convicted under 8 U.S.C. 1253 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 17 months. Of the 81 defendants whose cases ended, 47 (58%) pleaded guilty, 24 (30%) had their cases dismissed, and 10 (12%) went to trial. None of
18 U.S.C. 871, Threats against President and successors to the Presidency: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 84 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 871 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 22 (26%) had their cases dismissed and 58 (69%) pleaded guilty. Only 4 went to trial, and 2 of those 4 ended in an acquittal. Of the 60 convicted, 57 (95%) received a prison term on this charge, with a media
33 U.S.C. 1319, Enforcement: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal court records list 85 defendants whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 33 U.S.C. 1319 as the most serious charge. Of the 82 who were convicted, 13 (16%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 15.5 months. Most defendants, 76 (89%), pleaded guilty.
18 U.S.C. 81, Arson within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 93 federal defendants had cases end with 18 U.S.C. 81 as the most serious charge, and 82 of them (88%) were convicted. Of the 82 convicted, 77 (94%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 37 months (3.1 years). Only 5 cases went to trial, and 2 of the 5
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