Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis
531 U.S. 230 · Decided January 10, 2001 · 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
Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis was decided on January 10, 2001 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 531 U.S. 230 · 121 S. Ct. 714 · 148 L. Ed. 2d 635 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 642
- Docket number
- 99-7504
- Decided
- January 10, 2001
- Argued
- October 30, 2000
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3621
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Dissent | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis, Warden, et al.
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-014, docket 2000-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
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Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Christopher Artuz v. Tony Bruce Bennett
- Carl W. Cleveland v. United States
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
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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