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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.

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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.

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Latest Analysis

  • Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Ohio, FY2016–2025

    Drug Trafficking (40%) and Firearms (22%) cases accounted for most of the 7,866 people sentenced in the Northern District of Ohio in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The median prison term was 46 months (3.8 years), compared with 24 months for all 94 federal districts. The number sentenced each year was h

  • Federal Sentences in the Western District of Michigan, FY2016–2025

    The Western District of Michigan sentenced 3,034 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and those sent to prison received a median prison term of 51 months (4.2 years). The median for all 94 federal districts was 24 months. The district also ordered a fine for 33% of the people it sentenced.

  • Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Michigan, FY2016–2025

    Judges in the Eastern District of Michigan sentenced 42% of people below the guideline range without a government request in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Only 38% of sentences were within the range, compared with 48% for all 94 federal districts. The district sentenced 7,508 people, with a median pris

  • Federal Sentences in the Western District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025

    In the Western District of Kentucky, 43% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were below the guideline range at the government's request, and 37% were within the range. For all 94 federal districts, 48% were within the range. The district sentenced 3,229 people, and the median prison term was 5

  • Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Kentucky, FY2016–2025

    People sent to prison in the Eastern District of Kentucky received a median prison term of 70 months (5.8 years) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. For all 94 federal districts together, the median was 24 months. A mandatory minimum applied to 47% of the 4,374 people sentenced, and 93% pleaded guilty.

  • Federal Sentences in the Western District of Texas, FY2016–2025

    In the Western District of Texas, 77% of sentences in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 were within the federal guideline range, compared with 48% for all 94 districts. The district sentenced 76,480 people in those years, and 72% were immigration cases. The median prison term was 10 months, against 24 month

  • Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Texas, FY2016–2025

    Immigration cases made up 76% of the 71,026 people sentenced in the Southern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Among those sent to prison, the median prison term was 13 months, lower than the median of 24 months for all 94 federal districts together. More than 99% pleaded guilty.

  • Federal Sentences in the Eastern District of Texas, FY2016–2025

    A mandatory minimum prison term applied to 3,469 of the 7,998 people sentenced in the Eastern District of Texas in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 43%. The median prison term there was 64.5 months (5.4 years), compared with 24 months across all federal districts. Drug trafficking accounted for 47% of

  • Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Texas, FY2016–2025

    Drug trafficking made up 44% of federal sentences in the Northern District of Texas: 6,378 of the 14,591 people sentenced in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The district's median prison term was 60 months, compared with 24 months across all 94 federal districts. 96% of people sentenced there received a p

  • Federal Sentences in the Southern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025

    A fine was ordered for 2,061 of the 3,361 people sentenced in the Southern District of Mississippi in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, or 61%. The district's median prison term was 48 months (4 years), against 24 months for all federal districts. 69% of sentences fell within the guideline range, compared

  • Federal Sentences in the Northern District of Mississippi, FY2016–2025

    The Northern District of Mississippi sentenced 1,573 people in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 152 of them (10%) were sentenced for obscenity and other sex offenses. Sentences within the guideline range made up 45%, a little lower than the 48% for all federal districts. Nearly every guilty plea, 98%,

  • Federal Sentences in the Western District of Louisiana, FY2016–2025

    Drug trafficking cases in the Western District of Louisiana carried a median prison term of 110 months, and they made up 33% of the 3,011 people sentenced there in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The district's overall median was 60 months, compared with 24 months for all federal districts. Almost every

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