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
Drug Possession Convictions of Junior Enlisted (E-1 to E-4): Courts-Martial Compared With Federal Court
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) account for 270 of the 327 court-martial convictions for drug possession from 2016 to 2025. Of those 270, 91% included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 3.9 months. Federal court sentenced 6,268 people for simple possession in fiscal years 2016
Drug Possession Charges: Federal Trial Acquittals vs. Contested Marine Corps Courts-Martial
Of 12 contested Marine Corps courts-martial for drug possession that reached a verdict from 2020 to 2025, 0 ended in a full acquittal, and 3 (25%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court, 11 of the 36 trials under 21 U.S.C. 844 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 ended in an acquittal (31%). The Mar
Drug Possession Charges: How Often Federal Trials and Courts-Martial End in Acquittal
Of 21 contested Army, Navy, and Marine Corps courts-martial for drug possession that reached a verdict, 0 ended in a full acquittal, and 8 (38%) ended in a partial acquittal. In federal court, 11 of the 36 trials under 21 U.S.C. 844 ended in an acquittal (31%) in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. The court
Drug Possession: Sentences After a Guilty Plea vs. After Trial, Federal Court and Courts-Martial
In federal court, the median prison term for simple possession was 6 months after a guilty plea and 84 months after a trial. In courts-martial for drug possession, the median confinement was 4.2 months after a guilty plea and 3 months in contested cases that ended in conviction. The court-martial an
Guilty Pleas in Drug Possession Cases: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial
In federal court, 98% of the 6,268 people sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 pleaded guilty. In courts-martial charging drug possession, 171 of the 229 cases with a plea recorded (75%) were guilty pleas. The court-martial and federal rates start from different groups of cases, which
Drug Possession: Federal Sentences vs. Marine Corps Courts-Martial
Marine Corps court-martial convictions for drug possession carried the longest median confinement of any service: 9 months, across 62 convictions. A quarter of the cases received 17 months or more, and 81% of enlisted members convicted received a punitive discharge. In federal court, the median pris
Drug Possession: Federal Sentences vs. Navy Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
The Navy records show 28 court-martial convictions for drug possession with trial dates from 2016 to 2025. Of those, 93% included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 5.5 months. A quarter of the Navy cases received 12 months or more. In federal court, the median prison term for simp
Drug Possession: Federal Sentences vs. Air Force Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
The Air Force accounts for 209 court-martial convictions for drug possession with trial dates from 2016 to 2025, the largest group of any service. Of those, 93% included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 3.9 months. Federal court sentenced 6,268 people for simple possession under
Drug Possession: Federal Sentences vs. Army Courts-Martial
The Army records show 28 courts-martial that ended in a conviction for drug possession under Article 112a. Of those, 86% included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 3 months. In federal court, the median prison term for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 was 6 months in fiscal y
Drug Possession Sentences: Federal Court vs. Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
From 2016 to 2025, 90% of the 327 court-martial convictions for drug possession included confinement, and the median adjudged confinement was 3.9 months. In federal court, 70% of the 6,268 people sentenced for simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 received a prison term, and the median prison term w
Does Going to Trial Mean a Longer Sentence? Plea vs. Trial in Federal Court and Courts-Martial
In federal court in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, the median prison term was 24 months after a guilty plea and 120 months after a trial. In courts-martial, the median confinement was 5.9 months after a guilty plea and 9 months in contested cases ending in conviction. The difference in medians is not a
Appointed vs. Retained Lawyers in Federal Criminal Cases: How Cases Ended, 2016–2025
These numbers compare groups of cases, not lawyers. In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 94% of defendants with a federal public or community defender pleaded guilty, compared with 93% with a CJA panel attorney and 91% with private counsel. Defendants who can afford a lawyer, and the charges they face, dif
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
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