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# What San Diego, California Tried in 2022
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2022/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:26:46.000Z
- Description: San Diego, California held 27 courts-martial in 2022, and 59% were contested, compared with 33% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 117a, covering the wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images, was charged in 19% of cases, compared with 2% service-wide.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, San Diego, California, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [San Diego, California](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) › 2022

**Short answer:** San Diego, California held 27 courts-martial in 2022, and 59% were contested, compared with 33% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 117a, covering the wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images, was charged in 19% of cases, compared with 2% service-wide. No conviction carried 5 years or more of confinement.

Based on 27 cases · 2022 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Most of the Accused Contested the Charges

Only 11 of the 27 accused pleaded guilty. The other 16 contested at least one charge with a not-guilty or mixed plea, so the government had to prove its case at trial. That 59% contested share was much higher than the 33% for the Navy and Marine Corps in 2022.

In 2021, San Diego's contested share was 38%. The records do not say why more of the accused contested, and they do not describe the evidence in any case.

## Few Contested Cases Ended in Full Acquittal

Of the 16 contested cases that reached a verdict, 2 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. That is a full-acquittal rate of 12%. The whole Navy and Marine Corps docket had a rate of 20%.

Partial acquittals were more common. In 6 cases the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. In those cases, the trial reduced the charges but did not end in a full acquittal.

## Charges Were Different From the Service

All 27 records list the charges. Orders violations under Article 92 were the most common charge, in 7 cases (26%), compared with 18% service-wide. The general article, Article 134, was next, at 22%, compared with 20%.

Article 117a had the largest difference: 5 cases, or 19%, charged the wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images, compared with 2% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Larceny under Article 121 was 15%, compared with 7%. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 19% of cases, lower than the 23% elsewhere. Drug cases under Article 112a were 19%, compared with 22%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 7     | 26%        | 18%                               |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 6     | 22%        | 20%                               |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 5     | 19%        | 22%                               |
| Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images                                                                                             | 5     | 19%        | 2%                                |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 5     | 19%        | 23%                               |
| [Art. 121](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-121/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Larceny                                   | 4     | 15%        | 7%                                |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice                                                                                                                      | 2     | 7%         | 5%                                |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 2     | 7%         | 6%                                |

## Sentences Were Short

Of 25 cases with a conviction on at least one charge, 17 included confinement (68%). The median confinement was 5 months, about the same as the 6 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of confinement sentences were 8 months or longer. These are adjudged sentences, announced at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

32% of convictions here had no confinement, compared with 17% service-wide. Confinement under 6 months was 40%, compared with 38%. Confinement of 6 months to 1 year was 24%, compared with 25%. Only 1 of 25 convictions (4%) was longer than one year, compared with 20%. No sentence was 5 years or more.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 8           | 32%        | 17%                                         |
| Under 6 months                  | 10          | 40%        | 38%                                         |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 6           | 24%        | 25%                                         |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 1           | 4%         | 16%                                         |
| 5 years or more                 | 0           | 0%         | 4%                                          |

## Bad-Conduct Discharges Only

Of 25 convicted enlisted members, 11 received a punitive discharge (44%). All of those were bad-conduct discharges, not dishonorable discharges. The rest of the Navy and Marine Corps had a rate of 64%.

A special or a general court-martial can impose a bad-conduct discharge. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.

## General and Special Courts-Martial

General courts-martial tried 11 of the 27 cases (41%), about the same as the 42% across the Navy and Marine Corps. At general courts-martial, 7 of 9 convictions included confinement, with a median of 7 months. The 16 special courts-martial, which are capped at one year of confinement, included confinement in 62% of convictions, with a median of 3 months.

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 67% of the accused and NCOs were 33%. That is about the same as the 65% junior enlisted in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps.

## 2021 Compared With 2022

The number of cases went from 37 to 27\. The contested share went from 38% to 59%. Full acquittals went from 5 of 14 to 2 of 16\. Median confinement went from 6 months to 5 months. The share of convictions with confinement went from 75% to 68%. The enlisted punitive discharge rate went from 41% to 44%. The general court-martial share was 41% in both years.

In groups this small, a few cases can cause these changes. They show direction, not precise size.

|                                     | 2021     | 2022     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 37       | 27       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 38%      | 59%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 5 of 14  | 2 of 16  |
| Convictions with confinement        | 75%      | 68%      |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months | 5 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 41%      | 44%      |
| General courts-martial              | 41%      | 41%      |

## Similar Installations and What the Records Cannot Show

Jacksonville, Florida tried 23 cases, and 35% were contested. Of 8 contested cases that reached a verdict there, 3 ended in a full acquittal, and its median confinement was 5 months. Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 48 cases, and 21% were contested. Its median confinement was 8 months and its enlisted punitive discharge rate was 77%.

The records list charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct resolved outside a court-martial.

| Installation                 | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| San Diego, California        | 27    | 59%       | 2 of 16                             | 5 months           | 44%                           |
| Jacksonville, Florida        | 23    | 35%       | 3 of 8                              | 5 months           | 45%                           |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 48    | 21%       | 0 of 9                              | 8 months           | 77%                           |

Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Every court-martial tried at San Diego, California with a trial date in 2022 (27 cases).

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [San Diego, California: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-san-diego-california/) (hub)
- [By Year](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-year/) (hub)
- [San Diego, California in 2021: 37 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2021/) (previous / next)
- [San Diego, California in 2023: 31 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2023/) (previous / next)
- [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (the whole period)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2015/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2017/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2018/)
- [A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/bremerton-washington-courts-martial-2020/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [San Diego, California in 2021: 37 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2021/)Next: [San Diego, California in 2023: 31 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2023/) →

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at San Diego, California, 2022

- [Derek Butler](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-derek-butler/)
- [Andrea Goode](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-goode/)
- [Andrea Lockhart](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-lockhart/)
- [Michelle Pettit](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michelle-pettit/)
- [Derek Poteet](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-derek-poteet/)
- [Ryan Stormer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-stormer/)

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](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judges/) 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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.