United States v. David W. Lanier
520 U.S. 259 · Decided March 31, 1997 · 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
United States v. David W. Lanier was decided on March 31, 1997 unanimously (9–0). The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice David H. Souter wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, assault” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 520 U.S. 259 · 117 S. Ct. 1219 · 137 L. Ed. 2d 432 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 2079
- Docket number
- 95-1717
- Decided
- March 31, 1997
- Argued
- January 7, 1997
- 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
- David H. Souter
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Statutory construction of criminal laws, assault
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 242
- 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 | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority |
Full case caption
United States v. David W. Lanier
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-040, docket 1996-040-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, assault”
- Garcia v. United States
- Curtis Darnell Johnson v. United States
- United States v. Castleman
- Bond v. United States
- Ladner v. United StatesAltered precedent
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 242
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- California v. Kenneth Duane Roy
- Ohio v. Robert D. Robinette
- United States v. Vernon Watts
- Johnny Lynn Old Chief v. United States
- Maryland v. Jerry Lee Wilson
- Kenneth Lynce v. Hamilton MathisLaw held unconstitutional
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