Class v. United States
| Docket No. | Op. Below | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-424 | D.C. Cir. | Oct 4, 2017 | Feb 21, 2018 | 6-3 | Breyer | OT 2017 |
Holding: A guilty plea, by itself, does not bar a federal criminal defendant from challenging the constitutionality of the statute of conviction on direct appeal.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 6-3, in an opinion by Justice Breyer on February 21, 2018. Justice Alito filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Kennedy and Thomas joined.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- The Annual: OT2017 in Review (First Mondays, July 9, 2018)
- Opinion analysis: Appellate constitutional attacks on the offense of conviction are not waived absent explicit waiver (Corrected) (Rory Little, February 23, 2018)
- OT2017 #5: "Oglethorpe's Second Cousin" (First Mondays, November 6, 2017)
- OT2017 #2: "Who is the River Master?" (First Mondays, October 9, 2017)
- Argument analysis: A class on guilty-plea rules (Rory Little, October 5, 2017)
- OT2017 #1: "A Very Nice Office" (First Mondays, October 2, 2017)
- Argument preview: Does a guilty plea waive challenge to the constitutionality of the criminal offense? (Rory Little, September 27, 2017)
- Court releases October calendar (Amy Howe, July 20, 2017)
- One new grant, and a Sotomayor dissent (Amy Howe, February 21, 2017)
- Petition of the day (Kate Howard, November 15, 2016)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 09/30/2016 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 31, 2016) |
| 10/27/2016 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including November 30, 2016. |
| 11/16/2016 | Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including December 20, 2016. |
| 12/20/2016 | Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed. |
| 01/03/2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 19, 2017. |
| 01/03/2017 | Reply of petitioner Rodney Class filed. (Distributed) |
| 02/06/2017 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of February 17, 2017. |
| 02/21/2017 | Petition GRANTED. |
| 03/15/2017 | The time to file the joint appendix and petitioner's brief on the merits is extended to and including May 12, 2017. |
| 03/15/2017 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including July 17, 2017. |
| 05/12/2017 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs received.) |
| 05/12/2017 | Brief of petitioner Rodney Class filed. |
| 05/12/2017 | Consent to the filing of amicus curiae briefs in support of either party or of neither party from counsel for the petitioner. |
| 05/19/2017 | Brief amici curiae of The National Association of Criminal Lawyers, et al. filed. |
| 05/19/2017 | Brief amicus curiae of Albert W. Alschuler filed. |
| 05/19/2017 | Brief amicus curiae of The Innocence Project filed. |
| 07/17/2017 | Brief of respondent United States filed. |
| 07/19/2017 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. |
| 08/01/2017 | Record requested from the U.S.C.A. District of Columbia Circuit. |
| 08/09/2017 | CIRCULATED |
| 08/16/2017 | Reply of petitioner Rodney Class filed. (Distributed) |
| 10/04/2017 | Argued. For petitioner: Jessica R. Amunson, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Eric J. Feigin, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. |
| 02/21/2018 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Breyer, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Ginsburg, Sotomayor, Kagan, and Gorsuch, JJ., joined. Alito, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Kennedy and Thomas, JJ., joined. |
| 03/26/2018 | JUDGMENT ISSUED. |