What Was Tried at Washington, D.C., 2019–2023? 41 Courts-Martial
From 2019–2023, Washington, D.C. had 41 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial. Of the 15 contested cases with a verdict, 7 were full acquittals (47%), while the service-wide rate was 29%. After a conviction, the median confinement was 8 months here and 6 months service-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Washington, D.C. › 2019–2023
Short answer: From 2019–2023, Washington, D.C. had 41 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial. Of the 15 contested cases with a verdict, 7 were full acquittals (47%), while the service-wide rate was 29%. After a conviction, the median confinement was 8 months here and 6 months service-wide.
Pleas and Full Acquittals
In a contested case, the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. A plea is listed in 40 records: 15 contested and 25 guilty pleas. So 38% were contested, while across the Navy and Marine Corps 31% were.
All 15 contested cases reached a verdict, and 7 of them were full acquittals (47%). The rest of the service had a 29% rate. There were 0 partial acquittals, in which the accused is found not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another.
With only 15 contested verdicts, 1 case changes these rates by several points. The records do not say why an accused pleaded or fought.
Convictions by Charge
For Article 128 (assault), 5 of 10 cases ended in a conviction on that article (50%). For Article 112a (drug offenses), all 11 did. For Article 134 (the general article), 9 of 10 did (90%).
After a conviction on that article, the median confinement was 2.7 years for Article 134, 7 months for Article 112a, and 4 months for Article 128. One case can carry several articles, so the rows overlap.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 11 (100%) | 7 months |
| Art. 134 General article | 10 | 9 (90%) | 2.7 years |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 5 (50%) | 4 months |
How Long Were the Sentences?
Confinement was part of 30 of the 34 convictions. The median term was 8 months, and a quarter were 1.7 years or longer.
Terms of 5 years or more were 18% of convictions here (6 sentences), and 5% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Terms longer than one year were 29% of convictions (10 of 34), and 24% service-wide. All of these are adjudged sentences. They cover every charge in a case and come before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 4 | 12% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 11 | 32% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 9 | 26% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 4 | 12% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 6 | 18% | 5% |
Most Cases Were General Courts-Martial
Any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge, is available at a general court-martial. At a special court-martial, confinement is capped at one year and a dishonorable discharge is not available.
Of the 41 cases, 27 were general courts-martial (66%). The service-wide share was 44%. At general courts-martial, 87% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 1 year. At the 14 special courts-martial, 91% did, with a median of 6 months.
Rank and Punitive Discharges
By rank, 49% of the accused were junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4), 46% were NCOs, and 5% were officers. In the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, 64% were junior enlisted.
Of the convicted enlisted members, 59% received a punitive discharge (12 bad-conduct and 5 dishonorable). Service-wide, 63% did. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. Members whose sentence had no punitive discharge can still be administratively separated later.
Which Articles Were Charged?
A charge list is in 40 of the 41 records. Article 134 was in 25% of cases, compared with 18% across the service. Article 128 was also in 25%, compared with 31%. Article 92 (orders violations) was in 8%, compared with 18%.
Some less common articles were slightly above the service rate. Article 131b (obstructing justice) was in 10% of cases, compared with 6%. Article 120b (offenses against a child) was in 10%, compared with 7%.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 11 | 28% | 25% |
| Art. 134 General article | 10 | 25% | 18% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 25% | 31% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 5 | 12% | 14% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 4 | 10% | 9% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 4 | 10% | 6% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 10% | 7% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 3 | 8% | 18% |
Changes Since 2013–2018
By year, there were 7 cases in 2019, 5 in 2020, 12 in 2021, 8 in 2022, and 9 in 2023. The 41 cases are 2% of the 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps courts-martial in those years. In 2013–2018 there were 76 cases here, about 13 a year. Since then there have been about 8 a year (full years only).
Here is how 5 measures compare, earlier period first. Contested share: 39%, then 38%. Full acquittals in contested cases with a verdict: 13 of 29, then 7 of 15. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members: 59% in both. Median confinement: 6 months, then 8 months. General court-martial share: 57%, then 66%. A few cases can change figures in groups this small.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 76 | 41 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 39% | 38% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 13 of 29 | 7 of 15 |
| Convictions with confinement | 87% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 8 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 59% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 57% | 66% |
MCAS Miramar and Pensacola
Each of these 2 installations had 42 cases in the same years. At Pensacola, Florida, 59% were contested, 14 of 24 contested cases with a verdict were full acquittals, and the median confinement was 3 months. At MCAS Miramar, California, 30% were contested, 0 of 6 were full acquittals, and the median was 6 months.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | 41 | 38% | 7 of 15 | 8 months | 59% |
| MCAS Miramar, California | 42 | 30% | 0 of 6 | 6 months | 66% |
| Pensacola, Florida | 42 | 59% | 14 of 24 | 3 months | 56% |
What the Records Do Not Show
Charges, pleas, findings, sentences, and trial dates are in the records. Offense dates, the evidence, and the plea terms are not. Nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations are not included. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Washington, D.C. with a trial date in 2019–2023 (41 cases), compared with all 1,991 Navy and Marine Corps trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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
- Washington, D.C.: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- What Was Tried at Washington, D.C., 2013–2018? 76 Courts-Martial (another period)
- Washington, D.C., 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases (another period)
- MCAS Miramar, California, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 42 Cases (same years, similar size)
- What Was Tried at Pensacola, Florida, 2019–2023? 42 Courts-Martial (same years, similar size)
- Bremerton, Washington Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 52 Cases Show
- Bremerton, Washington, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 221 Cases
- Bremerton, Washington, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 153 Cases
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Washington, D.C., 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.