William Fiore v. Gregory White, Warden, et al. (531 U.S. 225)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 9, 2001 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 531 U.S. 225 · 121 S. Ct. 712
- Decided
- January 9, 2001
- Term
- October Term 2000
- Vote
- 9–0
- Issue area
- Due Process
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Per Curiam. Petitioner, William Fiore, was convicted of violating a Pennsylvania statute prohibiting the operation of a hazardous waste facility without a permit. After Fiore’s conviction became final, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court interpreted the statute for the first time, and made clear that Fiore’s conduct was not within its scope. However, the Pennsylvania courts refused to grant Fiore collateral relief. We granted certiorari in part to decide when, or whether, the Federal Due Process Clause requires a State to apply a new interpretation of a state criminal statute retroactively to cases on collateral review. In order to determine if that question was in fact presented, we asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court whether its decision interpreting the statute not to apply to conduct like Fiore’s was a new interpretation, or whether it was, instead, a correct statement of the law when Fiore’s conviction became final. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court, responding to our certified question, has now made clear that retro-activity is not at issue. At the same time, that court’s interpretation of its statute makes clear that Fiore did not violate the statute. We consequently find that his conviction is not consistent with the demands of the Federal Due Process Clause. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307, 316 (1979). H-1 This case, previously described in greater detail in our…
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