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
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
18 U.S.C. 1071, Concealing person from arrest: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 6 federal trials in which 18 U.S.C. 1071 was the most serious charge at the end of the case, 3 ended in an acquittal (3 of 6), all before juries. Most of the 93 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 did not go to trial: 74 (80%) pleaded guilty and 13 (14%) had their cases
18 U.S.C. 5032, Delinquency proceedings in district courts; transfer for criminal prosecution: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Between fiscal years 2016 and 2025, 96 federal defendants had cases end with 18 U.S.C. 5032 as the most serious charge. Of the 68 convicted, 38 (56%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 22 months. Before that point, 27 cases (28%) were dismissed, 67 (70%) ended in a guilty
18 U.S.C. 2237, Criminal sanctions for failure to heave to, obstruction of boarding, or providing false information: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 93 defendants convicted under 18 U.S.C. 2237 in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 92 (99%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 13 months. In all, 101 defendants had cases end under this section. Of those, 92 (91%) pleaded guilty, 8 (8%) had their cases dismissed,
18 U.S.C. 228, Failure to pay legal child support obligations: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Dismissals were common under 18 U.S.C. 228: 29 of 105 federal defendants (28%) had their charges dismissed in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most of the rest pleaded guilty, and 76 of the 105 (72%) were convicted. Prison terms were uncommon: 8 of the 76 convicted (11%) received one on this charge, with
50 U.S.C. 1705, Penalties: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 81 of the 109 federal defendants charged most seriously under 50 U.S.C. 1705 were convicted (74%). Of those 81, 60 received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 24 months (2 years). None of the 6 cases that went to trial ended in an acquittal.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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