United States v. Miguel Gonzales
520 U.S. 1 · Decided March 3, 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. Miguel Gonzales was decided on March 3, 1997 by a vote of 7–2. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor 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
- 520 U.S. 1 · 117 S. Ct. 1032 · 137 L. Ed. 2d 132 · 1997 U.S. LEXIS 1489
- Docket number
- 95-1605
- Decided
- March 3, 1997
- Argued
- December 11, 1996
- Court era
- Rehnquist Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority opinion
- Sandra Day O'Connor
- Opinion assigned by
- William H. Rehnquist
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- 18 U.S.C. § 924
- 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Sandra Day O'Connor | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| 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 | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
United States v. Miguel Gonzales, Orlenis Hernandez-Diaz and Mario Perez
SCDB identifiers: case 1996-032, docket 1996-032-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
- United States v. Vernon Watts
- United States v. George Labonte
- Juan Melendez v. United States
- Stacey C. Koon v. United States
- Cornell Johnson v. United States
- Charles C. Apprendi, Jr. v. New JerseyLaw held unconstitutional
Cases on the same legal provision: 18 U.S.C. § 924
- Roland J. Bailey v. United States
- Frank J. Muscarello v. United States
- United States v. Jacinto Rodriguez-Moreno
- Darren J. Custis v. United States
- Jaime Castillo v. United States
- John Angus Smith v. United States
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