Burgess v. United States

Holding

Because the term "felony drug offense" in Section 841(b)(1)(A) of the Controlled Substances Act is defined exclusively by Section 802(44) and does not incorporate Section 802(13)'s definition of "felony," a state drug offense punishable by more than one year qualifies as a "felony drug offense," even if state law classifies the offense as a misdemeanor.

Judgment

Affirmed, 9-0, in an opinion by Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Apr 16, 2008.

Recommended Citation: Burgess v. United States, SCOTUSblog, https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/burgess-v-us/