Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
552 U.S. 85 · Decided December 10, 2007 · 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
Derrick Kimbrough v. United States was decided on December 10, 2007 by a vote of 7–2. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. 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
- 552 U.S. 85 · 128 S. Ct. 558 · 169 L. Ed. 2d 481 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 13082
- Docket number
- 06-6330
- Decided
- December 10, 2007
- Argued
- October 2, 2007
- 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
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 3553
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | 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. | Dissent |
Full case caption
Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-007, docket 2007-007-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
- James D. Logan v. United States
- United States v. Gino Rodriquez
- Victor A. Rita v. United States
- Irizarry v. United States
- Alphonso James, Jr. v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- James D. Logan v. United States
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
- Michael A. Watson v. United States
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
- Michael H. Boulware v. United States
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