United States v. Efrain Santos and Benedicto Diaz
553 U.S. 507 · Decided June 2, 2008 · 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. Efrain Santos and Benedicto Diaz was decided on June 2, 2008 by a vote of 5–4. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision. Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the opinion announcing the judgment of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, financial crimes” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 553 U.S. 507 · 128 S. Ct. 2020 · 170 L. Ed. 2d 912 · 2008 U.S. LEXIS 4699
- Docket number
- 06-1005
- Decided
- June 2, 2008
- Argued
- October 3, 2007
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Judgment of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party did not receive a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- Antonin Scalia
- Opinion assigned by
- John Paul Stevens
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 1956
- Type of law
- Infrequently litigated statute
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Special concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Judgment of the Court | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Dissent | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Efrain Santos and Benedicto Diaz
SCDB identifiers: case 2007-044, docket 2007-044-01.
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Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 1956
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- James D. Logan v. United States
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
- Michael A. Watson v. United States
- Derrick Kimbrough v. United States
- Randall Wright v. Joseph L. Van Patten
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
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