Tommy L. Rutledge v. United States
517 U.S. 292 · Decided March 27, 1996 · 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
Tommy L. Rutledge v. United States was decided on March 27, 1996 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, conspiracy” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 517 U.S. 292 · 116 S. Ct. 1241 · 134 L. Ed. 2d 419 · 1996 U.S. LEXIS 2163
- Docket number
- 94-8769
- Decided
- March 27, 1996
- Argued
- November 27, 1995
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 9–0 (unanimous)
- Majority opinion
- John Paul Stevens
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 21 U.S.C. § 848
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist | Majority | |
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 |
Full case caption
Tommy L. Rutledge v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 1995-039, docket 1995-039-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, conspiracy”
- United States v. Reshat Shabani
- David Whitfield v. United States
- Calvin Smith v. United States
- United States v. Feola
- Anderson v. United States
- United States v. Dege et Vir.
Cases on the same legal provision: 21 U.S.C. § 848
- Frank B. McFarland v. Wayne Scott
- Eddie Richardson v. United States
- In re Berger
- Garrett v. United States
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Tana Wood v. Dwayne Earl Bartholomew
- Lem Davis Tuggle, Jr. v. J. D. Netherland
- Joseph Libretti v. United States
- Carl Thompson v. Patrick Keohane
- Roland J. Bailey v. United States
- Meirl Gilbert Neal v. United States
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