James Benjamin Puckett v. United States (556 U.S. 129)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 25, 2009 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 556 U.S. 129 · 129 S. Ct. 1423
- Decided
- March 25, 2009
- Term
- October Term 2008
- Vote
- 7–2
- Majority author
- Justice Scalia
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Scalia delivered the opinion of the Court. The question presented by this case is whether a forfeited claim that the Government has violated the terms of a plea agreement is subject to the plain-error standard of review set forth in Rule 52(b) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. I In July 2002, James Puckett was indicted by a grand jury in the Northern District of Texas on one count of armed bank robbery, 18 U. S. C. § 2113(a), (d), and one count of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, § 924(c)(1). He negotiated a plea agreement with the Government, which was filed with the District Court on September 3, 2003. As part of that deal, Puckett agreed to plead guilty to both counts, waive his trial rights, and cooperate with the Government by being truthful regarding his participation in criminal activities. App. 51a-53a. In exchange, the Government agreed to the following two terms: “8. The government agrees that Puckett has demonstrated acceptance of responsibility and thereby qualifies for a three-level reduction in his offense level. “9. The government also agrees to request that Puckett’s sentence be placed at the lowest end of the guideline level deemed applicable by the Court.” Id., at 54a. To satisfy the first of these obligations, the Government filed a motion in the District Court pursuant to § 3E1.1 of the United States…
Excerpt of a 33,883-character opinion. The full text and citation network load in the interactive viewer above.