Almendarez-Torres v. United States
| Almendarez-Torres v. United States | |
|---|---|
| Argued October 14, 1997 Decided March 24, 1998 | |
| Full case name | Hugo Almendarez-Torres v. United States of America |
| Citations | 523 U.S. 224 (more) 118 S. Ct. 1219; 140 L. Ed. 2d 350 |
| Case history | |
| Prior | Conviction affirmed, 113 F.3d 515 (5th Cir. 1996); cert. granted, 520 U.S. 1154 (1997). |
| Subsequent | Rehearing denied, 530 U.S. 1299 (2000). |
| Holding | |
| The fact of a defendant's prior convictions is not subject to the jury-trial requirement of the Sixth Amendment. | |
| Court membership | |
| |
| Case opinions | |
| Majority | Breyer, joined by Rehnquist, O'Connor, Kennedy, Thomas |
| Dissent | Scalia, joined by Stevens, Souter, Ginsburg |
| Laws applied | |
| 8 U.S.C. § 1326; U.S. Const. amend. VI | |
Almendarez-Torres v. United States, 523 U.S. 224 (1998), was a decision by the United States Supreme Court written by Justice Stephen Breyer which confirmed that a sentencing enhancement for a prior felony conviction was not subject to the Sixth Amendment requirement for a jury to determine the fact beyond a reasonable doubt.