Paula L. Buford v. United States
532 U.S. 59 · Decided March 20, 2001 · 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
Paula L. Buford v. United States was decided on March 20, 2001 unanimously (9–0). 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, sentencing guidelines” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 532 U.S. 59 · 121 S. Ct. 1276 · 149 L. Ed. 2d 197 · 2001 U.S. LEXIS 2455
- Docket number
- 99-9073
- Decided
- March 20, 2001
- Argued
- January 8, 2001
- 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
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C.
- 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 | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Paula L. Buford v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2000-033, docket 2000-033-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
- Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis
- Charles C. Apprendi, Jr. v. New JerseyLaw held unconstitutional
- Cornell Johnson v. United States
- Timothy Stuart Ring v. ArizonaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Ralph Howard Blakely, Jr. v. WashingtonLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. George Labonte
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Christopher Artuz v. Tony Bruce Bennett
- Carl W. Cleveland v. United States
- City of Indianapolis v. James EdmondLaw held unconstitutional
- Paul L. Glover v. United States
- Christopher A. Lopez v. Randy J. Davis
- Illinois v. Charles McArthur
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