Frank J. Muscarello v. United States
524 U.S. 125 · Decided June 8, 1998 · 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
Frank J. Muscarello v. United States was decided on June 8, 1998 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Stephen G. Breyer wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, firearms” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 524 U.S. 125 · 118 S. Ct. 1911 · 141 L. Ed. 2d 111 · 1998 U.S. LEXIS 3879
- Docket number
- 96-1654
- Decided
- June 8, 1998
- Argued
- March 23, 1998
- 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
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 924
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Frank J. Muscarello v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1997-081, docket 1997-081-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, firearms”
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Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 924
- United States v. Jacinto Rodriguez-Moreno
- United States v. Miguel Gonzales
- Darren J. Custis v. United States
- William Joseph Harris v. United States
- Thomas Lee Deal v. United States
- Reginald Shepard v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Garrit Bates v. United States
- Mario Salinas v. United States
- Richard F. Trest v. Burl Cain
- John Hudson v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Douglas McArthur Buchanan, Jr. v. Ronald J. Angelone
- James Brogan 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