What is the difference between a general court-martial and a special court-martial?

In Texas, there are two types of court-martials for members of the military: general court-martial and special court-martial. The difference between the two is the severity of the charges that can be tried and the types of punishments that can be imposed. A general court-martial has the power to try members of the military for violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) that are punishable by death or imprisonment of more than one year. The court-martial can also impose punishments such as dishonorable discharge, bad-conduct discharge, forfeiture of pay, and reduction in rank. A special court-martial has the power to try members of the military for violations that are punishable by confinement of up to one year, and other punishments such as forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank, and a bad-conduct discharge. However, it cannot impose a death sentence or a dishonorable discharge. The convening authority has the power to determine which court-martial is most appropriate to try a case. Generally, the special court-martial has jurisdiction over less serious offenses, while the general court-martial has jurisdiction over more serious offenses.

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What is the difference between a general court-martial and a special court-martial?

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