John Angus Smith v. United States
508 U.S. 223 · Decided May 24, 1993 · 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
John Angus Smith v. United States was decided on May 24, 1993 by a vote of 6–3. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 508 U.S. 223 · 113 S. Ct. 2050 · 124 L. Ed. 2d 138 · 1993 U.S. LEXIS 3740
- Docket number
- 91-8674
- Decided
- May 24, 1993
- Argued
- March 23, 1993
- 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
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- Byron R. White
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Byron R. White | Majority | |
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority |
Full case caption
John Angus Smith v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1992-078, docket 1992-078-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, firearms”
- Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States
- Harold E. Staples v. United States
- Roland J. Bailey v. United States
- Frank J. Muscarello v. United States
- Sillasse Bryan v. United States
- Gerald R. Caron v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 924
- Thomas Lee Deal v. United States
- Darren J. Custis v. United States
- Taylor v. United States
- United States v. Miguel Gonzales
- United States v. Jacinto Rodriguez-Moreno
- William Joseph Harris v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Al C. Parke v. Ricky Harold Raley
- Willie Lee Richmond v. Samuel A. Lewis
- Edward Soldal v. Cook County
- Michael Crosby v. United States
- Wilburn Dobbs v. Walter D. Zant
- A. L. Lockhart v. Bobby Ray Fretwell
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