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
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2022: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
In 2022, 144 of 411 contested courts-martial that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (35%). Federal trials ended in an acquittal 17% of the time in fiscal year 2022: 290 of 1,669. Jury trials accounted for 230 of those acquittals, out of 1,475 jury trials (16%).
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2021: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
The number of contested courts-martial with a verdict rose to 459 in 2021, and 166 of them ended in a full acquittal (36%). Federal courts tried 1,081 defendants in fiscal year 2021, and 196 trials ended in an acquittal (18%). The federal rate was the highest in the table.
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2020: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
Courts-martial with a 2020 trial date had the highest full-acquittal rate in this data series: 81 of 167 contested cases (49%). Federal trials in fiscal year 2020 ended in an acquittal in 199 of 1,425 cases (14%). Army records begin this year, with a single case.
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2019: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
Of the 210 contested courts-martial with a 2019 trial date and a verdict, 90 ended in a full acquittal (43%). In fiscal year 2019, 287 of the 1,950 federal trials ended in an acquittal (15%). The court-martial figure was higher than the federal figure, but they are built from different groups of cas
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2018: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
In fiscal year 2018, federal bench trials ended in an acquittal more often than jury trials: 83 of 218 (38%). Jury trials ended in an acquittal in 237 of 1,661 cases (14%). Across all 1,879 trials, 320 ended in an acquittal (17%), compared with 90 full acquittals in 239 contested courts-martial (38%
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2017: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
Air Force and Navy cases account for nearly all 2017 court-martial records. Of 217 contested cases with a verdict, 87 ended in a full acquittal (40%). In fiscal year 2017, federal courts tried 1,874 defendants, and 276 trials ended in an acquittal (15%).
Federal Trials vs. Courts-Martial in 2016: How Often Each Ended in Acquittal
In 2016, 71 of 179 contested courts-martial that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (40%). In federal court, 291 of the 1,853 trials that ended in fiscal year 2016 produced an acquittal (16%). The groups counted are different, so the gap does not measure how each system treats the accused.
Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Marine Corps courts-martial acquitted fully in 38 of 290 contested cases with a verdict (13%) from 2016 to 2025. Another 79 cases (27%) were partial acquittals. Federal trials ended in an acquittal in 2,534 of 16,849 cases (15%), so the Marine Corps full-acquittal rate was lower than the federal rat
Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Navy courts-martial that were contested and reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal 42% of the time from 2016 to 2025: 259 of 622. Federal trials ended in an acquittal in 15% of cases (2,534 of 16,849). Most Navy cases have no forum listed, which limits what the forum breakdown can show.
Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
In the Air Force, 530 of 1,234 contested courts-martial with a verdict ended in a full acquittal (43%), over 2016 to 2025. Federal trials in the same fiscal years ended in an acquittal in 2,534 of 16,849 cases (15%). The Air Force figure counts contested cases and the federal figure counts trials, s
Acquittal Rates: Federal Trials vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
Army records show 277 full acquittals among 724 contested courts-martial that reached a verdict, or 38%. Federal trials from fiscal years 2016 to 2025 ended in an acquittal 15% of the time: 2,534 of 16,849. The Army records start in 2020, so the figures cover different spans of years.
Obstruction of Justice Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
In the Marine Corps, 1 of 22 contested obstruction of justice (Article 131b) cases that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025 ended in a full acquittal (5%). In federal court, 52 of the 327 obstruction trials that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 ended in an acquittal (16%). The groups are counted d
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