Matthew Robert Descamps v. United States
570 U.S. 254 · Decided June 20, 2013 · 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
Matthew Robert Descamps v. United States was decided on June 20, 2013 by a vote of 8–1. The Court reversed the lower court's decision. Justice Elena Kagan 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
- 570 U.S. 254 · 133 S. Ct. 2276 · 186 L. Ed. 2d 438 · 2013 U.S. LEXIS 4698
- Docket number
- 11-9540
- Decided
- June 20, 2013
- Argued
- January 7, 2013
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority opinion
- Elena Kagan
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- State or local law or regulation
- Type of law
- State or local law or regulation
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Matthew Robert Descamps, Petitioner v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2012-067, docket 2012-067-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
- Allen Ryan Alleyne v. United StatesAltered precedent
- Southern Union Co. v. United States
- William Freeman v. United States
- Alejandra Tapia v. United States
- Marcus Sykes v. United States
- Jason Pepper v. United StatesLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Charles L. Ryan v. Ernest Valencia Gonzales
- Calvin Smith v. United States
- Chunon L. Bailey v. United States
- Florida v. Clayton Harris
- Armarcion D. Henderson v. United States
- Deborah K. Johnson v. Tara Sheneva Williams
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