Burrage v. United States
571 U.S. 204 · Decided January 27, 2014 · 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
Burrage v. United States was decided on January 27, 2014 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, narcotics and alcohol” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 571 U.S. 204 · 134 S. Ct. 881 · 187 L. Ed. 2d 715 · 2014 U.S. LEXIS 797
- Docket number
- 12-7515
- Decided
- January 27, 2014
- Argued
- November 12, 2013
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 21-801
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Special concurrence | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Burrage v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2013-015, docket 2013-015-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, narcotics and alcohol”
- Rosemond v. United States
- McFadden v. United States
- Taylor v. United States
- Frantz Depierre v. United States
- Clifton Terelle McNeill v. United States
- Kevin Abbott v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Stanton v. Sims
- Burt v. Titlow
- Kansas v. Cheever
- Kaley v. United States
- Fernandez v. California
- United States v. Apel
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