Angel Jaime Monge v. California (524 U.S. 721)

U.S. Supreme Court · decided June 26, 1998 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)

Citation
524 U.S. 721 · 118 S. Ct. 2246
Decided
June 26, 1998
Term
October Term 1997
Vote
5–4
Majority author
Justice O'Connor
Issue area
Criminal Procedure
Disposition
Affirmed
Outcome
Petitioning party lost
Ideological direction
Conservative

Opinion excerpt

Justice O’Connor delivered the opinion.of the Court. This ease presents the question whether the Double Jeopardy Clause, which we have found applicable in the capital sentencing context, see Bullington v. Missouri, 451 U. S. 430 (1981), extends to noncapital sentencing proceedings. We hold that it does not, and accordingly affirm the judgment of the California Supreme Court. ? — i Petitioner was charged under California law with one count of using a minor to sell marijuana, Cal. Health & Safety-Code Ann. § 11861(a) (West 1991), one count of sale or transportation of marijuana, § 11360(a), and one count of possession of marijuana for sale, § 11359. In the information, the State also notified petitioner that it would seek to prove two sentence enhancement allegations: that petitioner had previously been convicted of assault and that he had served a prison term for that offense, see Cal. Penal Code Ann. §§ 245(a)(1), 667(e)(1), and 667.5 (West Supp. 1998). Under California’s “three-strikes” law, a defendant convicted of a felony who has two qualifying prior convictions for “serious felonies” receives a minimum sentence of 25 years to life; when the instant conviction was preceded by one serious felony offense, the court doubles a defendant’s term of imprisonment. §§ 667(d)(1) and (e)(l)-(2). An assault conviction qualifies as a serious felony if the defendant either inflicted…

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