Military Court Martial Records Showing Online: UCMJ, Public Access & Removal Options
A court martial is the military's criminal trial process, conducted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Court martial records are public records - and they can appear in online searches through several channels. Veterans and service members who have faced court martial proceedings often discover that these records follow them into civilian life in ways that civilian criminal records follow others. Understanding how court martial records work, who can access them, and what options exist is essential for those navigating their civilian career after military justice proceedings.
By Anthony WillEst. 2013Published May 27, 2026Read time: 10 min
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General and special courts martial records are public. The military publishes court martial results in several ways: For more information, visit the JAG.
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps announcements: Services publish summaries of courts martial results in official announcements that are publicly accessible
Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA), Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals (NMCCA): Appellate decisions in court martial cases are published and indexed by legal databases including CourtListener
FOIA requests: Court martial records can be obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests to the relevant military branch
Summary courts martial: Less formal, records may be less publicly accessible
How Court Martial Records Appear Online
Military appellate court decisions on CourtListener and Justia (for cases that were appealed)
Data broker sites that aggregate public record data including military justice records
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Your record is probably showing in more places than you realize - and each one can be addressed.
Most people who reach out to us had no idea how many places their record had spread. Justia, Google Scholar, UniCourt, background check sites - each one a new place where employers, landlords, or dates might find you. A free scan shows you exactly where you stand, so you can do something about it.
Federal civilian expungement is rare and court martial expungement is even more limited. The military does not have a standard expungement process comparable to state civilian courts. Options that exist: For more information, visit the National Archives military records.
Discharge upgrade: The military's Discharge Review Boards (DRB) and Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) can upgrade discharges from Dishonorable/Other Than Honorable - though this does not expunge the court martial conviction itself
Presidential pardon: The President has pardon power over military convictions
Set aside by the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF): Successful appeal can overturn a conviction
Online removal without expungement: Data broker opt-outs and aggregator site requests may reduce online visibility even without legal expungement
Authoritative Resources on Military Justice Records
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are court martial records public?
General and special courts martial records are public record. The military publishes results of courts martial in service announcements. Appellate court martial decisions (from ACCA, NMCCA, AFCCA, CGCCA, and CAAF) are published and indexed by legal databases including CourtListener. Court martial records can also be obtained through FOIA requests to the relevant military branch. Summary courts martial have more limited public accessibility.
Can a court martial conviction be expunged?
Military court martial convictions do not have a standard expungement process comparable to civilian state courts. The military Boards for Correction of Military Records (BCMRs) can sometimes remove or correct records, and discharge upgrade boards can change the characterization of discharge - but these do not expunge court martial convictions the way state expungement would. Presidential pardon is theoretically available but rarely granted. Successful appeal through the military appellate system remains the primary mechanism for overturning a court martial conviction.
Does a court martial show on a background check?
Yes. A court martial conviction - particularly a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge - will appear in comprehensive background checks. The National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and the Interstate Identification Index (III) include military convictions. Background check services that access these federal databases will report court martial convictions. The discharge characterization (honorable, general, other than honorable, bad conduct, dishonorable) is also visible through military service verification.
Can I upgrade my military discharge?
Yes. Veterans with less-than-honorable discharges can apply to the Discharge Review Board (DRB) of their branch within 15 years of discharge, or to the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR) at any time. Grounds for upgrade include errors in the discharge process, changes in policy (such as those related to sexual orientation or mental health conditions), and demonstrations of rehabilitation and post-service contribution. Discharge upgrade changes the characterization but does not expunge the underlying court martial.
Are military court records different from civilian court records?
Yes, in several ways. Military courts (courts martial) operate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), not civilian state or federal law. The appeals process goes through military appellate courts (ACCA, NMCCA, etc.) to the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF). Civilian expungement laws do not apply to military convictions - military convictions can only be addressed through military administrative processes or presidential pardon. However, the online visibility of court martial records (through CourtListener, military announcements, and data broker sites) can be addressed through the same removal strategies used for civilian records.
Can I get a court martial removed from Google?
While you cannot expunge a court martial conviction through civilian means, you can often reduce its visibility in Google. This includes: requesting removal from data broker and background check aggregator sites that republish the record, submitting Google de-indexing requests for specific URLs where the record appears, and building a strong professional digital presence that suppresses the record in search results. The underlying legal record remains, but its search visibility can be significantly reduced.
Where are court martial records stored and who maintains them?
Court martial records are maintained by the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps of each military branch. The National Archives also maintains older military justice records. Records from appellate proceedings are published by the service Courts of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (CAAF), and are indexed by civilian legal databases like CourtListener and Justia.
Does a dishonorable discharge prevent future employment?
A dishonorable discharge, which can only result from a general court martial conviction, has significant civilian consequences. It can bar veterans from federal employment, firearms ownership, VA benefits, and many professional licenses. Background checks will show both the court martial conviction and the discharge characterization. Addressing the online visibility of the record - through removal requests and suppression - can reduce the practical impact while discharge upgrade proceedings are pursued.