Greenlaw v. United States

Greenlaw v. United States
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued April 15, 2008
Decided June 23, 2008
Full case nameMichael Greenlaw, aka Mikey, Petitioner v. United States
Docket no.07-330
Citations554 U.S. 237 (more)
128 S. Ct. 2559; 171 L. Ed. 2d 399; 2008 U.S. LEXIS 5259; 76 U.S.L.W. 4533; 21 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 421
DecisionOpinion
Case history
Prior481 F.3d 601 (8th Cir. 2007); cert. granted, 552 U.S. 1087 (2008).
Holding
A federal appeals court may not sua sponte increase a criminal sentence in the absence of an appeal filed by the government.
Court membership
Chief Justice
John Roberts
Associate Justices
John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia
Anthony Kennedy · David Souter
Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinions
MajorityGinsburg, joined by Roberts, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Thomas
ConcurrenceBreyer (in judgment)
DissentAlito, joined by Stevens; Breyer (Parts I, II, and III)
Laws applied
18 U.S.C. § 3742; Fed. R. App. P. 3, 4, 26

Greenlaw v. United States, 554 U.S. 237 (2008), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that a federal appeals court may not sua sponte increase a defendant's sentence unless the government first files a notice of appeal.[1]

  1. ^ Greenlaw v. United States, 554 U.S. 237 (2008).