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
18 U.S.C. 1071, Concealing person from arrest: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 6 federal trials in which 18 U.S.C. 1071 was the most serious charge at the end of the case, 3 ended in an acquittal (3 of 6), all before juries. Most of the 93 defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 did not go to trial: 74 (80%) pleaded guilty and 13 (14%) had their cases
18 U.S.C. 5032, Delinquency proceedings in district courts; transfer for criminal prosecution: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Between fiscal years 2016 and 2025, 96 federal defendants had cases end with 18 U.S.C. 5032 as the most serious charge. Of the 68 convicted, 38 (56%) received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 22 months. Before that point, 27 cases (28%) were dismissed, 67 (70%) ended in a guilty
18 U.S.C. 2237, Criminal sanctions for failure to heave to, obstruction of boarding, or providing false information: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 93 defendants convicted under 18 U.S.C. 2237 in cases that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 92 (99%) received a prison term on that charge, with a median of 13 months. In all, 101 defendants had cases end under this section. Of those, 92 (91%) pleaded guilty, 8 (8%) had their cases dismissed,
18 U.S.C. 228, Failure to pay legal child support obligations: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Dismissals were common under 18 U.S.C. 228: 29 of 105 federal defendants (28%) had their charges dismissed in fiscal years 2016 to 2025. Most of the rest pleaded guilty, and 76 of the 105 (72%) were convicted. Prison terms were uncommon: 8 of the 76 convicted (11%) received one on this charge, with
50 U.S.C. 1705, Penalties: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 81 of the 109 federal defendants charged most seriously under 50 U.S.C. 1705 were convicted (74%). Of those 81, 60 received a prison term on that charge, and the median term was 24 months (2 years). None of the 6 cases that went to trial ended in an acquittal.
18 U.S.C. 1152, Laws governing: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 111 federal defendants whose cases under 18 U.S.C. 1152 ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 95 (86%) were convicted, nearly all through guilty pleas. Felony charges made up 71 of the cases (64%) and Class A misdemeanors 40 (36%). Of those convicted, 68 (72%) received a prison term on this charge,
18 U.S.C. 1503, Influencing or injuring officer or juror generally: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
In fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 125 federal defendants had cases end with a most serious charge under 18 U.S.C. 1503, and 99 of them pleaded guilty (79%). Of the 109 convicted, 93 received a prison term on that charge (85%), with a median of 30 months. Only 13 cases went to trial, and 3 of those ended
18 U.S.C. 1203, Hostage taking: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
None of the 25 federal trials under 18 U.S.C. 1203 that ended in fiscal years 2016 to 2025 resulted in an acquittal. Across all 128 defendants, 118 (92%) were convicted, and 117 of them received a prison term on this charge. The median term was 164 months (13.7 years), and 9 defendants received life
18 U.S.C. 241, Conspiracy against rights: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of the 129 federal defendants whose most serious charge at the end of the case fell under 18 U.S.C. 241 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 50 went to trial (39%). Those trials ended in 18 acquittals, or 36%. Overall, 101 of the 129 (78%) were convicted, and the median prison term on that charge was 36 mo
18 U.S.C. 2312, Transportation of stolen vehicles: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 137 federal defendants whose cases ended under 18 U.S.C. 2312 in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, 117 (85%) pleaded guilty and 16 (12%) had their cases dismissed. Only 4 went to trial, and none of the 4 ended in an acquittal. Among the 121 convicted, 103 (85%) received a prison term on this charge, wit
26 U.S.C. 7212, Attempts to interfere with administration of internal revenue laws: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2016–2025
Of 137 federal defendants whose most serious final charge was under 26 U.S.C. 7212, 19 (14%) went to trial in fiscal years 2016 to 2025, and 2 of those trials ended in an acquittal. Guilty pleas ended 111 cases (81%), and 128 defendants (93%) were convicted. Of those convicted, 96 (75%) received a p
18 U.S.C. 1752, Restricted building or grounds: How Federal Cases Ended, FY2017–2025
Trials were common under 18 U.S.C. 1752, and none ended in an acquittal. Of 138 federal defendants whose cases ended in fiscal years 2017 to 2025, 30 (22%) went to trial, and all 30 were convicted. With 106 guilty pleas (77%) and 2 dismissals (1%), 136 of the 138 (99%) were convicted.
Go deeper: Military Trial Results (every case, members) · Know Your Judge · Learn Your Lawyer (free)
Get the free newsletter.
Clips, audiograms and the opening of every issue, free.