Molina-Martinez v. United States
| Docket No. | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14-8913 | Jan 12, 2016 | May 2, 2025 | 8-0 | Kennedy | OT 2015 |
Holding: Courts reviewing use of an incorrect Federal Sentencing Guidelines range cannot apply a categorical "additional evidence" rule requiring a showing that use of the incorrect range affected a defendant's sentence in cases in which a district court applied an incorrect range but sentenced the defendant within the correct range.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Kennedy on May 2, 2025. Justice Alito filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Justice Thomas joined.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: To guideline err is human, to review is now de norm (Douglas Berman, April 20, 2016)
- Argument analysis: Will defendant lose the battle but win the war in sentencing case? (Douglas Berman, January 13, 2016)
- Argument preview: Justices take on plain error review and guideline-range mistakes (Douglas Berman, January 8, 2016)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 03/16/2015 | Petition for a writ of certiorari and motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed. (Response due April 17, 2015) |
| 04/08/2015 | Order extending time to file response to petition to and including May 18, 2015. |
| 04/24/2015 | Order further extending time to file response to petition to and including June 18, 2015. |
| 06/10/2015 | Brief of respondent United States in opposition filed. |
| 06/11/2015 | Reply of petitioner Saul Molina-Martinez filed. |
| 06/25/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of September 28, 2015. |
| 10/01/2015 | Motion to proceed in forma pauperis and petition for a writ of certiorari GRANTED. |
| 11/16/2015 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of costs filed) |
| 11/16/2015 | Brief of petitioner Saul Molina-Martinez filed. |
| 11/24/2015 | SET FOR ARGUMENT on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 |
| 12/04/2015 | Record requested from U.S.C.A. 5th Circuit. |
| 12/15/2015 | CIRCULATED. |
| 12/16/2015 | Brief of respondent United States filed. (Distributed) |
| 01/04/2016 | Reply of petitioner Saul Molina-Martinez filed. (Distributed) |
| 01/12/2016 | Argued. For petitioner: Timothy Crooks, Assistant Federal Public Defender, Houston, Tex. For respondent: Scott A.C. Meisler, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. |
| 01/19/2016 | Record from the U.S.D.C. Southern District of Texas is electronic and also received in hard copy. (1 Envelope) |
| 04/20/2016 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Kennedy, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Roberts, C. J., and Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan, JJ., joined. Alito, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which Thomas, J., joined. |
| 05/23/2016 | JUDGMENT ISSUED |