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
Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Norfolk vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia
In both Norfolk courts-martial and the federal Eastern District of Virginia, 85% of those convicted of obstruction of justice were sentenced to confinement or prison. The medians were also about the same: 12.5 months for 26 convictions at Norfolk and 12 months for 33 people sentenced in the district
Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Fort Bliss vs. Federal Court in the Western District of Texas
Fort Bliss had 10 Army convictions for obstruction of justice under Article 131b with trial dates from 2021 to 2025, and only 6 of them (60%) came from guilty pleas. In the Western District of Texas, 25 of 26 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.2 (96%) pleaded guilty. The median sentence was about
Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
At Camp Pendleton, 24 of 27 Marine Corps obstruction of justice convictions (89%) included confinement, and the median adjudged term was 14 months. In the Southern District of California, 12 of the 18 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.2 (67%) received prison, with a median prison term of 18 mont
Obstruction of Justice: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune produced 28 obstruction of justice convictions under Article 131b with trial dates from 2017 to 2025, and the median adjudged confinement was 10 months. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, the U.S. Sentencing Commission counted 10 people sentenced under guidelin
Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
In the Southern District of California, 23 people were sentenced for aggravated assault in federal court, and the median prison term was 46 months. At Camp Pendleton, 16 courts-martial ended in an aggravated assault (Article 128) conviction, every one with confinement, and the median adjudged confin
Aggravated Assault: Courts-Martial at Camp Lejeune vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina
Courts-martial at Camp Lejeune recorded 14 convictions for aggravated assault (Article 128), with a median adjudged confinement of 9 months. In the Eastern District of North Carolina, 24 people were sentenced in federal court under the aggravated assault guideline, and the median prison term for tho
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Washington Navy Yard vs. Federal Court in the District of Columbia
All 10 courts-martial convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 at the Washington Navy Yard from 2016 to 2025 were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 5 months. In the District of Columbia, 384 people were sentenced in federal court under guideline §2B1.1 in fisca
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at San Diego vs. Federal Court in the Southern District of California
Courts-martial at San Diego, California produced 41 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 from 2016 to 2025, and 26 of them (63%) included confinement, with a median of 8 months. In the Southern District of California, 700 of the 887 people sentenced under federal guideline §2B
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Norfolk vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia
Of the 28 Navy convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 at Norfolk, Virginia from 2016 to 2025, 27 (96%) were guilty pleas, and the median adjudged confinement was 6 months. In the Eastern District of Virginia, 1,240 people were sentenced under federal guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal y
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Mayport vs. Federal Court in the Middle District of Florida
Navy courts-martial at Mayport, Florida recorded 11 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 from 2016 to 2024, and 10 of the 11 (91%) included confinement, with a median of 6.7 months. The federal court for the Middle District of Florida sentenced 1,790 people under guideline §2B
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico vs. Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia
In the Eastern District of Virginia, 1,058 of 1,240 people sentenced under federal guideline §2B1.1 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (85%) received a prison term, with a median of 30 months (2.5 years). Courts-martial at Marine Corps Base Quantico recorded 10 Article 121 convictions for larceny, theft,
Theft and Fraud: Courts-Martial at Marine Corps Base Hawaii vs. Federal Court in the District of Hawaii
Marine Corps courts-martial at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay recorded 17 convictions for larceny, theft, and fraud under Article 121 from 2017 to 2024, and the median adjudged confinement was 8 months. The federal court for the District of Hawaii sentenced 135 people under guideline §2B1.1 i
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