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
18 U.S.C. 1152, Laws governing: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 111 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 1152 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 95 (86%) were convicted, nearly all through guilty pleas. Felony charges made up 71 of the cases (64%) and Class A misdemeanors 40 (36%). Of those convicted, 68 (72%) received a prison term on this charge,
18 U.S.C. 1503, Influencing or injuring officer or juror generally: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 125 federal defendants had cases end with a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 1503, and 99 of them pleaded guilty (79%). Of the 109 convicted, 93 received a prison term on that charge (85%), with a median of 30 months. Only 13 cases went to trial, and 3 of those ended
18 U.S.C. 1203, Hostage taking: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
None of the 25 federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 1203 that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 resulted in an acquittal. Across all 128 defendants, 118 (92%) were convicted, and 117 of them received a prison term on this charge. The median term was 164 months (13.7 years), and 9 defendants received life
18 U.S.C. 241, Conspiracy against rights: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 129 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 241 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 50 went to trial (39%). Those trials ended in 18 acquittals, or 36%. Overall, 101 of the 129 (78%) were convicted, and the median prison term on that charge was 36 mo
18 U.S.C. 2312, Transportation of stolen vehicles: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 137 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2312 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 117 (85%) pleaded guilty and 16 (12%) had their cases dismissed. Only 4 went to trial, and none of the 4 ended in an acquittal. Among the 121 convicted, 103 (85%) received a prison term on this charge, wit
26 U.S.C. 7212, Attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 137 federal defendants whose most serious final charge was under 26 U.S.C. 7212, 19 (14%) went to trial in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2 of those trials ended in an acquittal. Guilty pleas ended 111 cases (81%), and 128 defendants (93%) were convicted. Of those convicted, 96 (75%) received a p
18 U.S.C. 1752, Restricted building or grounds: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2017–2025
Trials were common under 18 U.S.C. 1752, and none ended in an acquittal. Of 138 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 30 (22%) went to trial, and all 30 were convicted. With 106 guilty pleas (77%) and 2 dismissals (1%), 136 of the 138 (99%) were convicted.
42 U.S.C. 7413, Federal enforcement: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 5 federal trials in which 42 U.S.C. 7413 was the most serious charge in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 3 ended in an acquittal, all of them bench trials. Most of the 138 defendants, 123 (89%), pleaded guilty. Of the 125 convicted, 25 (20%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 6
18 U.S.C. 1701, Obstruction of mails generally: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
All 138 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 1701 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were charged at the petty offense level. 134 (97%) pleaded guilty, and 135 (98%) were convicted. Only 15 of the 135 convicted received a prison term on this charge, with
16 U.S.C. 704, Determination as to when and how migratory birds may be taken, killed, or possessed: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal records list 139 defendants whose case ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 with 16 U.S.C. 704 as the most serious charge. None of those charges was a felony, and 69 of the defendants (50%) had no lawyer. 121 (87%) pleaded guilty, and 6 of the 7 trials ended in an acquittal.
18 U.S.C. 669, Theft or embezzlement in connection with health care: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Federal charges under 18 U.S.C. 669 were split between felonies (68, or 49%) and Class A misdemeanors (71, or 51%) among the 139 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Of the 133 who were convicted (96%), 44 (33%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 18 months.
18 U.S.C. 1015, Naturalization, citizenship or alien registry: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 140 federal defendants had a case end with 18 U.S.C. 1015 as the most serious charge, and 33 of them (24%) had their cases dismissed. Another 105 (75%) pleaded guilty. Just 2 cases went to trial, and both ended in an acquittal.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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