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# San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 126 Cases Show
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2024-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:48:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T08:03:23.000Z
- Description: Drug charges under Article 112a were in 19% of the 126 courts-martial San Diego, California tried from January 2024 through September 2026, compared with 12% service-wide. The median confinement was 5 months, slightly shorter than the 6 months across the service.
- 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/) › 2024–2026

**Short answer:** Drug charges under Article 112a were in 19% of the 126 courts-martial San Diego, California tried from January 2024 through September 2026, compared with 12% service-wide. The median confinement was 5 months, slightly shorter than the 6 months across the service. These cases were 12% of all Navy and Marine Corps cases in that period.

Based on 126 cases · 2024–2026 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## Drug and Disobedience Charges Were More Common

All 126 records list their charges, with each article counted once per case. Article 134 (general article) was the most common charge, at 21%, the same as the service share. Article 112a (drug) was next, at 19%, compared with 12% elsewhere.

Some other charges were also more common here. Article 86 (AWOL) and Article 120b were each charged in 8% of cases, compared with 5%. Article 90 (disobeying an officer) was charged in 10%, compared with 5% service-wide. Article 92 (orders violation) was less common: 13%, compared with 19%.

| UCMJ Article                                                                                                                                       | Cases | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- | ---------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| [Art. 134](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-134/?ref=bodiesburied.com) General article                           | 26    | 21%        | 21%                                          |
| [Art. 112a](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-112a-drug-offenses/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 24    | 19%        | 12%                                          |
| [Art. 92](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-92/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Failure to obey order or regulation         | 17    | 13%        | 19%                                          |
| [Art. 128](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-128/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Assault                                   | 14    | 11%        | 15%                                          |
| [Art. 128b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-128b-domestic-violence/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Domestic violence                             | 12    | 10%        | 12%                                          |
| [Art. 90](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-90/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Willfully disobeying superior officer       | 12    | 10%        | 5%                                           |
| [Art. 86](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-86/?ref=bodiesburied.com) AWOL                                        | 10    | 8%         | 5%                                           |
| [Art. 120b](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/practice-areas/court-martial/article-120b/?ref=bodiesburied.com) Rape and sexual assault of a child      | 10    | 8%         | 5%                                           |

## More Cases Were Contested Than Before

The plea is recorded in 120 of 126 cases: 76 guilty pleas and 44 not-guilty or mixed pleas. The not-guilty and mixed pleas are contested cases. The contested share of 37% is about the same as the 36% across the Navy and Marine Corps. It is higher than San Diego's own 30% in 2019–2023.

Article 112a cases had the lowest guilty plea rate among the top charges: 48% (11 of 23). For Article 134 cases, the rate was 72% (18 of 25), the highest. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.

## Verdicts in Contested Cases

Full acquittals were 27% of the 44 contested cases that reached a verdict. Service-wide, the rate was 26%, about the same. In another 6 cases, the accused was found not guilty of at least one charge or specification and guilty of another. Those are partial acquittals.

## Convictions by Charge

Every Article 92 case ended in a conviction on that article (17 of 17), with a median confinement of 2 months. Article 134 cases ended in a conviction on that article in 25 of 26 (96%), with a median of 1.2 years.

Drug charges ended in conviction less often. Article 112a cases ended in a drug conviction in 18 of 24 (75%), with a median of 4 months. Article 128 assault cases ended in a conviction on that article in 11 of 14 (79%), also with a median of 4 months. Rows overlap because one case can include several articles.

| Article                                                     | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Art. 134 General article                                    | 26                | 25 (96%)                | 1.2 years                               |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 24                | 18 (75%)                | 4 months                                |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation                 | 17                | 17 (100%)               | 2 months                                |
| Art. 128 Assault                                            | 14                | 11 (79%)                | 4 months                                |

## Sentences at Each Court Level

Court level made a large difference. At the 85 special courts-martial, which are capped at one year, 60% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 months. At the 40 general courts-martial, which can impose any lawful sentence, 86% did, with a median of 2.2 years. The court level is not listed for 1 case.

Overall, 77 of 112 convictions included confinement. A quarter of confinement sentences were 1.5 years or longer, and the median was 5 months. Sentences longer than one year were 21% of convictions (23 of 112). The service figure was 20%. All of these are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and each covers every charge in a case.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 35          | 31%        | 30%                               |
| Under 6 months                  | 40          | 36%        | 35%                               |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 14          | 12%        | 14%                               |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 13          | 12%        | 13%                               |
| 5 years or more                 | 10          | 9%         | 7%                                |

## Punitive Discharges and Rank

Of enlisted convictions, 47% included a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge. Of those discharges, 20 were dishonorable and 27 were bad-conduct. Service-wide, the rate was 52%. 1 of 4 convicted officers or warrant officers was dismissed. An administrative separation can still follow a sentence that has no punitive discharge.

The accused were more senior than in the service as a whole: 65 junior enlisted members, 48 NCOs, and 4 officers. General courts-martial were 32% of cases here and 38% service-wide.

## Changes Since 2019–2023 and the Law Changes

San Diego had 173 cases in 2019–2023, about 35 a year. Since then it has had about 48 a year. Full acquittals went from 18 of 52 to 12 of 44\. The share of convictions with confinement went from 79% to 69%. The punitive discharge rate went from 55% to 47%. General courts-martial went from 43% to 32% of cases.

2 law changes apply in this period. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, judges sentence under new parameters. Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. Offense dates are not in the records, so this period mixes old-rule and new-rule cases. The records cannot show whether either change caused these differences.

|                                     | 2019–2023 | 2024–2026 |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | --------- |
| Cases                               | 173       | 126       |
| Contested (of pleas recorded)       | 30%       | 37%       |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 18 of 52  | 12 of 44  |
| Convictions with confinement        | 79%       | 69%       |
| Median confinement                  | 6 months  | 5 months  |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted)       | 55%       | 47%       |
| General courts-martial              | 43%       | 32%       |

## Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton

Camp Lejeune, North Carolina (119 cases) and Camp Pendleton, California (142) tried similar numbers of cases. Their contested shares were 28% and 27%, and their punitive discharge rates were 59% and 60%.

By year, the count was 58 in 2024 and 38 in 2025\. The 2026 count of 30 covers part of the year. The records do not show the evidence, plea terms, or cases resolved without a court-martial.

| Installation                 | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
| ---------------------------- | ----- | --------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| San Diego, California        | 126   | 37%       | 12 of 44                            | 5 months           | 47%                           |
| Camp Lejeune, North Carolina | 119   | 28%       | 8 of 31                             | 6 months           | 59%                           |
| Camp Pendleton, California   | 142   | 27%       | 5 of 34                             | 4 months           | 60%                           |

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 in the data tried at San Diego, California with a trial date in 2024–2026 (126 cases), compared with all 1,013 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.

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)
- [Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [San Diego, California Courts-Martial, 2013–2018: What 285 Cases Show](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2013-2018/) (another period)
- [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/) (another period)
- [What Was Tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2024–2026? 119 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-lejeune-north-carolina-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (same years, similar size)
- [Inside 142 Courts-Martial at Camp Pendleton, California, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/camp-pendleton-california-courts-martial-2024-2026/) (same years, similar size)
- [Did Assault Cases at San Diego, California Change After 2019?](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-128-before-after-2019/)
- [Drug Cases at San Diego, California: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-article-112a-before-after-2019/)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

← Previous: [Inside 173 Courts-Martial at San Diego, California, 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/san-diego-california-courts-martial-2019-2023/)

## Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at San Diego, California, 2024–2026

- [Todd Gaston](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-todd-gaston/)
- [Philip Hamon](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-philip-hamon/)
- [Matthew Harris](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-matthew-harris/)
- [Douglas Hatch](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-douglas-hatch/)
- [Brian John](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-brian-john/)
- [Paul Laplante](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-paul-laplante/)
- [Hayes Larsen](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-hayes-larsen/)
- [Andrea Lockhart](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-andrea-lockhart/)
- [Adam Partridge](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-adam-partridge/)
- [Kevin Quencer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-kevin-quencer/)
- [Jesse Schweig](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jesse-schweig/)
- [David Segraves](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-david-segraves/)
- [Ryan Stormer](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-ryan-stormer/)
- [Jon Taylor](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-jon-taylor/)
- [Chad Temple](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-chad-temple/)
- [Aran Walsh](https://www.bodiesburied.com/judge-aran-walsh/)

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.