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
No Confinement: Federal Probation Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
Of 2,128 Army convictions with a sentence recorded, 355 (17%) carried no confinement. The trial dates run from 2016 to 2025. In federal court over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 46,079 of 659,036 people sentenced (7%) received probation only, with no prison or other confinement.
Federal Bench Trials vs. Air Force Judge-Alone Courts-Martial: Acquittal Rates
In Air Force contested courts-martial decided by a military judge alone, 70 of 163 ended in a full acquittal (43%), with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. In federal bench trials over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 696 of 2,234 ended in an acquittal (31%). The Air Force rate was higher than the federal rat
Federal Juries vs. Air Force Court-Martial Members: How Often Each Acquits
Enlisted members in the Air Force fully acquitted in 309 of 561 contested cases (55%), and officer members only fully acquitted in 151 of 510 (30%), with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. All members together fully acquitted in 460 of 1,071 cases (43%). Federal juries acquitted in 1,838 of 14,615 trial
Federal Bench Trials vs. Army Judge-Alone Courts-Martial: Acquittal Rates
Army military judges sitting alone fully acquitted 70 of 282 contested courts-martial from 2016 to 2025 (25%). Federal judges acquitted 696 of 2,234 bench trials in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (31%). The federal rate was higher, but the numbers count different kinds of cases.
Federal Juries vs. Army Court-Martial Members: How Often Each Acquits
Army court-martial members fully acquitted 186 of 421 contested cases they decided, with trial dates from 2016 to 2025 (44%). Federal juries acquitted in 1,838 of 14,615 trials in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 (13%). The Army rate was higher, and it differed between enlisted members (47%) and officer me
Obstruction of Justice Sentences Since the 2023 Military Sentencing Reform: What the Data Shows So Far
It may be too early to tell what the 2023 military sentencing reform changed for obstruction of justice. Court-martial convictions under Article 131b had a median confinement of 9 months for trials in 2022 and 2023 and 12 months for trials in 2024 and 2025. Federal sentences under guideline §2J1.2 h
Obstruction of Justice Convictions of Officers and Warrant Officers: Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Courts-martial convicted 15 officers and warrant officers of obstruction of justice under Article 131b with trial dates from 2018 to 2025, and 7 of the 15 officers were dismissed. Confinement was adjudged in 11 of the 15 convictions (73%), with a median of 16 months. In federal court, 74% of 1,256 p
Obstruction of Justice Convictions of NCOs (E-5 to E-9): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Courts-martial convicted 119 NCOs (E-5 to E-9) of obstruction of justice under Article 131b with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Confinement was adjudged in 76% of those convictions, about the same as the 74% prison rate for federal cases under guideline §2J1.2. The median was 12 months in courts-mar
Obstruction of Justice Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
From 2016 to 2025, courts-martial convicted 189 junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) of obstruction of justice under Article 131b. Confinement was adjudged in 92% of those convictions, and the median was 9.9 months. In federal court, 74% of the 1,256 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.2 received
Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Marine Corps courts-martial from 2016 to 2025 convicted 103 people of obstruction of justice under Article 131b. Of the 100 enlisted members among them, 84 (84%) received a punitive discharge, and the median confinement was 12 months. In federal court, 1,256 people were sentenced under guideline §2J
Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Navy courts-martial from 2016 to 2025 convicted 98 people of obstruction of justice under Article 131b. Confinement was adjudged in 86% of the convictions, and the median was 9.5 months. In federal court, 74% of the 1,256 people sentenced under guideline §2J1.2 received prison, and the median prison
Obstruction of Justice: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial
The Air Force records list 31 convictions for obstruction of justice (Article 131b) with trial dates from 2019 to 2025. Confinement was adjudged in 87% of them, with a median of 8.9 months. In federal court, 1,256 people were sentenced under guideline §2J1.2 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 74% rec
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