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 Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial
Of 26 contested Navy courts-martial for obstruction of justice (Article 131b) that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025, 4 (15%) ended in a full acquittal. In federal court, 52 of 327 obstruction trials (16%) ended in an acquittal in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The rates are about the same, but the Na
Obstruction of Justice Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial
Of 46 contested Army courts-martial for obstruction of justice (Article 131b) that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025, 13 (28%) ended in a full acquittal. In federal court, 52 of 327 obstruction trials (16%) ended in an acquittal in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Who decided guilt mattered in the Army
Obstruction of Justice Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 52 of 327 federal obstruction trials (16%) ended in an acquittal. In Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial from 2016 to 2025, 18 of 94 contested cases that reached a verdict (19%) ended in a full acquittal. The rates count different groups of cases, and Air Force
Kidnapping Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial
From 2021 to 2025, 10 contested Army courts-martial for kidnapping under Article 125 reached a verdict, and 3 ended in a full acquittal (30%). In federal court, 25 of 191 trials for kidnapping under 18 U.S.C. 1201 ended in an acquittal (13%) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The Army count is very small
Kidnapping Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
In federal court, 25 of 191 kidnapping trials ended in an acquittal (13%) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. In contested courts-martial for kidnapping from 2021 to 2025, 5 of 16 cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (31%). These numbers count different groups of cases, so the difference
Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
The Marine Corps records list 10 contested courts-martial for aggravated assault that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025. None ended in a full acquittal, and 4 (40%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84 of 229 assault trials ended in an acquittal (37%).
Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Navy Courts-Martial
The Navy records list 13 contested courts-martial for aggravated assault that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025. None ended in a full acquittal, and 6 (46%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court, 84 of 229 assault trials in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 ended in an acquittal (37%).
Aggravated Assault Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Army Courts-Martial
Of 18 contested Army courts-martial for aggravated assault that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025, 0 ended in a full acquittal, and 12 (67%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal assault trials during fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84 of 229 ended in an acquittal (37%). The Army and federal counts
Aggravated Assault Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
From 2016 to 2025, 0 of 41 contested aggravated assault courts-martial in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. Another 22 (54%) were partial acquittals. In federal court over fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 84 of 229 trials ended in an acquittal (37%). The co
Manslaughter Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
Federal trials for manslaughter ended in an acquittal in 10 of 28 cases (36%), in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Among 12 contested courts-martial for manslaughter under Article 119 that reached a verdict from 2021 to 2025, 3 ended in a full acquittal (25%). These rates count different groups, and both
Murder Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
Of 13 contested courts-martial for murder under Article 118 that reached a verdict from 2016 to 2025 (Army, Navy, and Marine Corps), 2 ended in a full acquittal (15%), and 5 (38%) were partial acquittals. In federal court, 14 of 122 murder trials ended in an acquittal (11%), in fiscal years 2016 to
Child Sexual Abuse and Enticement Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
Only 10 contested Marine Corps courts-martial for sexual offenses against a child reached a verdict in the records. 4 ended in a full acquittal (40%) and 3 were partial acquittals (30%). In federal court, 6 of 245 trials ended in an acquittal (2%). The Marine Corps count is too small to support a ra
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