United States v. Bryant
| Docket No. | Argument | Opinion | Vote | Author | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15-420 | Apr 19, 2016 | May 2, 2025 | 8-0 | Ginsburg | OT 2015 |
Holding: The use of tribal-court convictions as predicate offenses in a subsequent prosecution does not violate the Constitution when the tribal-court convictions occurred in proceedings that complied with the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 and were therefore valid when entered.
Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 8-0, in an opinion by Justice Ginsburg on May 2, 2025. Justice Thomas filed a concurring opinion.
SCOTUSblog Coverage
- Opinion analysis: No constitutional violation from use of tribal-court convictions as predicate offenses (Amy Howe, June 13, 2016)
- Argument analysis: A quiet bench on uncounseled tribal-court convictions (Amy Howe, April 19, 2016)
- Argument preview: The right to appointed counsel, tribal-court convictions, and federal domestic-violence statutes collide (Amy Howe, April 12, 2016)
- SCOTUS for law students: Indian cases at the Court (Stephen Wermiel, January 4, 2016)
| Date | Proceedings and Orders |
|---|---|
| 10/05/2015 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due November 4, 2015) |
| 11/04/2015 | Brief amicus curiae of National Congress of American Indians filed. |
| 11/04/2015 | Brief of respondent Michael Bryant, Jr. in opposition filed. |
| 11/04/2015 | Motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed by respondent Michael Bryant, Jr. |
| 11/23/2015 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of December 11, 2015. |
| 11/23/2015 | Reply of petitioner United States filed. (Distributed) |
| 12/14/2015 | Motion for leave to proceed in forma pauperis filed by respondent GRANTED. |
| 12/14/2015 | Petition GRANTED. |
| 01/28/2016 | Joint appendix filed. (Statement of cost filed.) |
| 01/28/2016 | Brief of petitioner United States filed. |
| 02/04/2016 | Brief amici curiae of National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, et al. filed. |
| 02/04/2016 | Brief amicus curiae of National Congress of American Indians filed. |
| 02/04/2016 | Brief amici curiae of Dennis K. Burke, United States Attorney, District of Arizona, et al. filed. |
| 02/19/2016 | The time to file respondent's brief on the merits is extended to and including March 7, 2016. |
| 03/04/2016 | SET FOR ARGUMENT ON Tuesday, April 19, 2016 |
| 03/07/2016 | Brief of respondent Michael Bryant, Jr. filed. |
| 03/14/2016 | Brief amici curiae of Criminal Justice Organizations and Scholars filed. (Distributed) |
| 03/14/2016 | Brief amici curiae of Professor Barbara Creel, and The Tribal Defender Network filed. (Distributed) |
| 03/14/2016 | Brief amici curiae of The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, et al. filed. (Distributed) |
| 03/14/2016 | Brief amicus curiae of Citizens Equal Rights Foundation filed. (Distributed) |
| 03/14/2016 | Record requested from U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit. |
| 03/15/2016 | CIRCULATED. |
| 03/15/2016 | The record from U.S.D.C. District of Montana is electronic and located on PACER, with the exception of one document. |
| 03/23/2016 | The record from the U.S.C.A. is electronic and located on PACER. |
| 04/06/2016 | Reply of petitioner United States filed. (Distributed) |
| 04/19/2016 | Argued. For petitioner: Elizabeth B. Prelogar, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Steven C. Babcock, Assistant Federal Defender, Billings, Mont. |
| 06/13/2016 | Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Ginsburg, J., delivered the opinion for a unanimous Court. Thomas, J., filed a concurring opinion. |
| 06/30/2016 | Letter from the United States received. |
| 07/15/2016 | JUDGMENT ISSUED |