Betterman v. Montana
578 U.S. 437 · Decided May 19, 2016 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Betterman v. Montana was decided on May 19, 2016 unanimously (8–0). The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Speedy trial” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 578 U.S. 437 · 136 S. Ct. 1609 · 194 L. Ed. 2d 723 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 3349
- Docket number
- 14-1457
- Decided
- May 19, 2016
- Argued
- March 28, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Speedy trial
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (speedy trial)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Betterman v. Montana
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-052, docket 2015-052-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Speedy trial”
- United States v. Jason Louis Tinklenberg
- Taylor James Bloate v. United States
- Vermont v. Michael Brillon
- Jacob Zedner v. United States
- Marc Gilbert Doggett v. United States
- United States v. Taylor
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (speedy trial)
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Maryland v. James Kulbicki
- Chadrin Lee Mullenix v. Beatrice Luna
- Randy White v. Roger L. Wheeler
- Hurst v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Kansas v. Carr
- Montgomery v. Louisiana
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error