Keith Lavon Burgess v. United States
553 U.S. 124 · Decided April 16, 2008 · 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
Keith Lavon Burgess v. United States was decided on April 16, 2008 unanimously (9–0). 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, narcotics and alcohol” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 553 U.S. 124 · 128 S. Ct. 1572 · 170 L. Ed. 2d 478 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 3475
- Docket number
- 06-11429
- Decided
- April 16, 2008
- Argued
- March 24, 2008
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 21 U.S.C. § 841
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| 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. | Majority |
Full case caption
Keith Lavon Burgess v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-032, docket 2007-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, narcotics and alcohol”
- Michael A. Watson v. United States
- Salman Khade Abuelhawa v. United States
- Kevin Abbott v. United States
- Clifton Terelle McNeill v. United States
- Frantz Depierre v. United States
- Burrage 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
- Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
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