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Walker v. United States

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Supreme Court of the United States
Walker v. United States
Docket number: 19-373
Term: 2019
Court: United States Supreme Court
Important dates
N/A
Court membership
Chief Justice John G. Roberts • Clarence Thomas • Ruth Bader Ginsburg • Stephen Breyer • Samuel Alito • Sonia Sotomayor • Elena Kagan • Neil Gorsuch • Brett Kavanaugh


Walker v. United States is a case that was granted review by the Supreme Court of the United States during the court's October 2019-2020 term. The case came on a writ of certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. It was dismissed after the petitioner, James Walker, died on January 22, 2020.[1]

HIGHLIGHTS
  • The case: James Walker was found guilty of being a felon in possession of ammunition. The district court also found that he was subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment under the Armed Career Criminal Act, as Walker had been previously convicted of three violent felonies. Walker filed a habeas petition, arguing that his prior convictions no longer qualified as violent felonies as defined in the Armed Career Criminal Act. The district court vacated the previous sentence and re-sentenced Walker to 88 months' imprisonment. The 6th Circuit reversed the decision and remanded the case.
  • The issue: "Whether a criminal offense that can be committed with a mens rea of recklessness can qualify as a "violent felony" under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. 924(e)."[2]
  • The outcome: The case was dismissed after Walker died on January 22, 2020.


    • You can review the lower court's opinion here.[3]

    Timeline

    The following timeline details key events in this case:

    Background

    James Walker was found guilty of being a felon while being in possession of ammunition. The district court found that Walker had been previously convicted of three violent felonies, and was therefore subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years' imprisonment under the Armed Career Criminal Act. Walker filed a habeas petition, arguing that his prior convictions no longer qualified as violent felonies as defined in the Armed Career Criminal Act. The district court determined that two of Walker's prior convictions were violent felonies, vacated the previous sentence, and re-sentenced him to serve 88 months in prison. The 6th Circuit reversed the district court's sentence and remanded the case.[3]

    Questions presented

    The petitioner presented the following questions to the court:[2]

    Questions presented:
    • Whether a criminal offense that can be committed with a mens rea of recklessness can qualify as a "violent felony" under the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. 924(e).

    Outcome

    The case was dismissed after Walker died on January 22, 2020.[1]

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 SCOTUSblog, "Walker v. United States," accessed November 18, 2019
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Supreme Court of the United States, "Walker v. United States: Questions Presented," accessed November 18, 2019
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, "Walker v. United States," accessed November 18, 2019
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