Washington, D.C. in 2024: 11 Courts-Martial, Year in Review
Washington, D.C. tried 11 courts-martial in 2024. 7 were general courts-martial (64%), compared with 38% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 45% of the cases were contested, compared with 34% service-wide.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Washington, D.C. › 2024
Short answer: Washington, D.C. tried 11 courts-martial in 2024. 7 were general courts-martial (64%), compared with 38% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 45% of the cases were contested, compared with 34% service-wide.
More General Courts-Martial Than the Service
The 11 cases split into 7 general and 4 special courts-martial. The general share of 64% was higher than the 38% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2024. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence, including long confinement and a dishonorable discharge. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. Since 2019, a special court-martial can also be tried by a military judge alone, with a cap of six months and no punitive discharge.
The accused were more senior than in the service as a whole. Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 27% of the accused, NCOs 64%, and officers 9%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members made up 58%.
Orders Violations and Domestic Violence
Charge lists cover all 11 cases. Article 92 (failure to obey an order or regulation) was the most common charge, in 4 cases (36%), compared with 16% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Domestic violence under Article 128b appeared in 3 cases (27%), compared with 13%.
The general article, Article 134, appeared in 2 cases (18%). Article 112a, Article 90, Article 86, Article 128, and Article 114 each appeared in 1 case. A case with several articles is counted under each one.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 4 | 36% | 16% |
| Art. 128b Domestic violence | 3 | 27% | 13% |
| Art. 134 General article | 2 | 18% | 22% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 1 | 9% | 14% |
| Art. 90 Willfully disobeying superior officer | 1 | 9% | 4% |
| Art. 86 AWOL | 1 | 9% | 4% |
| Art. 128 Assault | 1 | 9% | 16% |
| Art. 114 Endangerment offenses | 1 | 9% | 1% |
Pleas and Verdicts
5 cases had a not-guilty or mixed plea, and 6 had a guilty plea. Contested cases made up 45% of those with a plea recorded, compared with 34% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 2 of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
Norfolk and Kaneohe Bay Side by Side
Norfolk, Virginia tried 24 cases in 2024 and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 25. The median confinement was 4 months at both Washington, D.C. and Norfolk, and 5 months at Kaneohe Bay. 2 of 8 convicted enlisted members at Washington, D.C. received a punitive discharge, compared with 47% at Norfolk and 78% at Kaneohe Bay.
Sentences are as adjudged at trial, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | 11 | 45% | 2 of 5 | 4 months | 2 of 8 |
| Norfolk, Virginia | 24 | 26% | 4 of 6 | 4 months | 47% |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 25 | 22% | 0 of 5 | 5 months | 78% |
New Rules That Overlap These Trials
Since December 28, 2023, special trial counsel, not commanders, decide whether to prosecute covered offenses such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder. When every guilty finding is for an offense after December 27, 2023, the military judge sets the sentence within new sentencing parameters. Both rules depend on the offense date, which the records do not give, so 2024 trials include cases under the old rules and the new rules.
The records also leave out nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, the evidence, and the plea terms.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Washington, D.C. with a trial date in 2024 (11 cases).
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)
- By Year (hub)
- What Washington, D.C. Tried in 2016 (previous / next)
- Washington, D.C., 2024–2026: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 21 Cases (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2021
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Washington, D.C., 2024
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.