Orders Violation Cases at Quantico, Virginia: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023
Quantico, Virginia had 16 courts-martial charging Article 92 (orders violation) in 2019–2023, and none charged Article 92 alone.
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Short answer: Quantico, Virginia had 16 courts-martial charging Article 92 (orders violation) in 2019–2023, and none charged Article 92 alone. The median confinement was 5 months, close to the 6 months in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases, and 9 of 15 convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge (60%), compared with 58% service-wide.
Orders Violations Charged With Other Offenses
Article 92 was the only charge in 0 of the 16 cases. Article 134 (general article) was charged in 6. Article 115 (malingering before 2019; communicating threats since) was charged in 4. Article 129 (burglary before 2019; burglary and unlawful entry since), Article 128 (assault), and Article 128b (domestic violence) were each charged in 3.
Each sentence covers every charge in the case, so the figures below reflect these other charges too.
Confinement After Conviction
All 16 cases ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 13 of those sentences included confinement (81%). The median confinement was 5 months, close to the 6 months median in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases in 2019–2023. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 1 year or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Punitive Discharges
Of 15 convicted enlisted members, 9 received a punitive discharge: 6 bad-conduct discharges and 3 dishonorable discharges. That 60% share was about the same as the 58% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
2017–2018 Compared With 2019–2023
The 2017–2018 records show 11 cases over 2 years, about 6 a year. Since 2019 there have been about 3 a year: 4 in 2019, 3 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 4 in 2022, and 3 in 2023. These 16 cases were 23% of the 70 courts-martial at Quantico in 2019–2023.
Convictions with confinement went from 50% to 81%, and the median confinement went from 2 months to 5 months. A punitive discharge followed 2 of 9 enlisted convictions in the earlier period and 60% in the later one. General courts-martial went from 18% to 31%. These are small groups, so the changes show a direction only.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 11 | 16 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 2 of 9 |
| Convictions with confinement | 50% | 81% |
| Median confinement | 2 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 2 of 9 | 60% |
| General courts-martial | 18% | 31% |
Mostly Junior Enlisted, Mostly Special Courts-Martial
By rank, 11 accused were junior enlisted members, 4 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. This group was more junior than the accused in Navy and Marine Corps Article 92 cases overall.
Special courts-martial heard 11 cases and general courts-martial heard 5. The general share, 31%, compares with 33% service-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Pleas
Only 9 of the 2019–2023 cases list a plea, and 2 of those 9 were contested. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea.
What the Records Do Not Cover
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they do not include nonjudicial punishment or administrative separations.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 92 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Quantico, Virginia that charged Article 92 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2017–2018 (11) and 2019–2023 (16). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 92 in 2019–2023.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Quantico, Virginia: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 92 (Failure to Obey Order or Regulation): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 37 Cases Show (the whole docket)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 70 Cases Show (the whole docket)
- Quantico, Virginia Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 49 Cases Show (the whole docket)
- Did Orders Violation Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Did Orders Violation Cases at Camp Pendleton, California Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Is Navy-Marine Corps Orders Violation Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 92, 2017–2025
- Article 92 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 92 Cases at Quantico, Virginia, 2019–2023
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.