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# San Diego, California in 2023: 31 Courts-Martial, Year in Review
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2023/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:54:59.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T05:26:47.000Z
- Description: San Diego, California tried 31 courts-martial in 2023. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (45%), compared with 22% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 29% of cases, compared with 11% elsewhere.
- 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/) › 2023

**Short answer:** San Diego, California tried 31 courts-martial in 2023\. Of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal (45%), compared with 22% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) was charged in 29% of cases, compared with 11% elsewhere. General courts-martial were 65% of cases.

Based on 31 cases · 2023 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial

Of the 31 cases, 20 were general courts-martial, a 65% share compared with 46% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Only a general court-martial can impose more than one year of confinement or a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial is limited to one year and a bad-conduct discharge.

At general courts-martial, 45% of cases were contested and the median confinement was 1.1 years. The 11 special courts-martial were contested 20% of the time, with a median of 2 months.

## Assault and Sexual Assault Were the Most Common Charges

All 31 records list the charges. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 12 cases, or 39%, compared with 26% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120 was next, with 9 cases (29%), compared with 11%.

Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child), attempts under Article 80, and obstructing justice under Article 131b were each charged in 13% of cases, compared with 5% elsewhere. The general article, Article 134, was charged in 26%. Drug cases under Article 112a were only 6%, compared with 13%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 12    | 39%        | 26%                                          |
| [Art. 120](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault                            | 9     | 29%        | 11%                                          |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 8     | 26%        | 22%                                          |
| [Art. 80](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-80/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Attempts                                    | 4     | 13%        | 5%                                           |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice                                                                                                                      | 4     | 13%        | 5%                                           |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 4     | 13%        | 5%                                           |
| Art. 117a Wrongful broadcast of intimate visual images                                                                                             | 2     | 6%         | 2%                                           |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2     | 6%         | 13%                                          |

## Contested Cases and Full Acquittals

Pleas are recorded for 30 cases: 19 guilty pleas and 11 contested cases, meaning the accused pleaded not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share of 37% was higher than the 32% for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.

Of the 11 contested cases that reached a verdict, 5 ended in a full acquittal, meaning not guilty of every charge. That 45% full-acquittal rate was higher than the 22% across all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2023\. There were only 11 cases, so 1 verdict either way changes the rate by several points.

## Results by Charge

All 8 cases charging Article 134 ended in a conviction on that article, with a median confinement of 4 months. Assault cases ended in a conviction on that article in 7 of 12 (58%), with a median of 5 months.

Article 120 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 5 of 9\. Those convictions had a median confinement of 4.8 years. One case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another, so the rows overlap.

| Article                          | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 128 Assault                 | 12                | 7 (58%)                 | 5 months                                |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 9                 | 5 (5 of 9)              | 4.8 years                               |
| Art. 134 General article         | 8                 | 8 (8 of 8)              | 4 months                                |

## Some Sentences Were Very Long

Confinement was part of 88% of the 26 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as the 6-month median across the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of confinement sentences were 3 years or longer. These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.

Long sentences were more common here than elsewhere. Of 26 convictions, 8 (31%) carried more than one year, compared with 23% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Sentences of 5 years or more were 19% of convictions here, compared with 4%.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 3           | 12%        | 21%                                          |
| Under 6 months                  | 11          | 42%        | 33%                                          |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 4           | 15%        | 23%                                          |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 3           | 12%        | 19%                                          |
| 5 years or more                 | 5           | 19%        | 4%                                           |

## More Dishonorable Than Bad-Conduct Discharges

Of 24 convicted enlisted members, 15 received a punitive discharge: 9 dishonorable discharges and 6 bad-conduct discharges. The 62% rate was about the same as the 63% in the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed.

Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge. A member whose sentence had no punitive discharge could still be separated administratively.

## Who Was Charged

By rank, 19 of the accused were junior enlisted (E-1 to E-4), 10 were NCOs (E-5 to E-9), and 1 was an officer or warrant officer. That mix is similar to the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where 65% of the accused were junior enlisted.

## Changes From 2022

The number of cases went from 27 to 31\. The contested share went from 59% to 37%. Full acquittals went from 2 of 16 to 5 of 11\. The general court-martial share went from 41% to 65%. Convictions with confinement went from 68% to 88%. Enlisted punitive discharges went from 44% to 62%. Median confinement went from 5 months to 6 months. A few cases can change these figures in small groups, so the changes show direction only.

|                                     | 2022     | 2023     |
| ----------------------------------- | -------- | -------- |
| Cases                               | 27       | 31       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 59%      | 37%      |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 2 of 16  | 5 of 11  |
| Convictions with confinement        | 68%      | 88%      |
| Median confinement                  | 5 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 44%      | 62%      |
| General courts-martial              | 41%      | 65%      |

## Similar Installations and What the Records Cannot Show

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina tried 32 cases, with a 38% contested share and only 1 of 10 full acquittals. Norfolk, Virginia tried 29 cases, 48% were contested, and 5 of 14 ended in a full acquittal. Median confinement was 6 months at San Diego and Norfolk and 5 months at Camp Lejeune. The enlisted punitive discharge rate was 77% at Camp Lejeune and 52% at Norfolk.

Cases resolved by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not in these records. The records also do not show the evidence or plea terms.

| Installation                 | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| San Diego, California        | 31    | 37%       | 5 of 11                             | 6 months           | 62%                           |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 32    | 38%       | 1 of 10                             | 5 months           | 77%                           |
| Norfolk, Virginia            | 29    | 48%       | 5 of 14                             | 6 months           | 52%                           |

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 2023 (31 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)
- [What San Diego, California Tried in 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2022/) (previous / next)
- [San Diego, California in 2024: 58 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2024/) (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: [What San Diego, California Tried in 2022](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2022/)Next: [San Diego, California in 2024: 58 Courts-Martial, Year in Review](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2024/) →

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at San Diego, California, 2023

- [Philip Hamon](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-philip-hamon/)
- [Yong Lee](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-yong-lee/)
- [Andrea Lockhart](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-lockhart/)
- [Michelle Pettit](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-michelle-pettit/)
- [Chad Temple](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-chad-temple/)

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.