Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States
511 U.S. 368 · Decided May 16, 1994 · 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
Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States was decided on May 16, 1994 unanimously (9–0). 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
- 511 U.S. 368 · 114 S. Ct. 1669 · 128 L. Ed. 2d 383 · 1994 U.S. LEXIS 3768
- Docket number
- 93-445
- Decided
- May 16, 1994
- Argued
- March 21, 1994
- 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
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 922
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Harry A. Blackmun | Majority | |
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority |
Full case caption
Lenard Ray Beecham v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1993-046, docket 1993-046-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, firearms”
- Harold E. Staples v. United States
- John Angus Smith 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. § 922
- United States v. Alfonso Lopez, Jr.Law held unconstitutional
- Jay Printz v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Jimmie Burden, Jr. v. Walter Zant
- Waldemar Ratzlaf and Loretta Ratzlaf v. United States
- Thomas Schiro v. Robert Farley
- Paul Caspari v. Christopher Bohlen
- Clarence Victor v. Nebraska
- United States v. Ralph Stuart Granderson, Jr.
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