Johnson v. United States

576 U.S. 591 (2015)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
J
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Johnson v. United States

United States Supreme Court
576 U.S. 591 (2015)

Play video

Facts

Samuel Johnson (defendant) was a felon with an extensive criminal record. While being monitored by federal authorities, Johnson showed an undercover agent several firearms in his possession. Johnson was then arrested and pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in violation of federal law. The government sought an enhanced sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ACCA imposed more severe penalties upon a felon in possession of a firearm if the felon had three or more previous convictions for violent felonies. The definition of violent felony included any felony involving conduct that presented a serious potential risk of physical injury to another. The government argued that three of Johnson’s previous convictions qualified as violent felonies. One of those convictions was for possession of a short-barrel shotgun in violation of state law. Johnson argued that offense did not qualify as a violent felony and therefore there were not enough previous violent felonies to support the penalty enhancement. The district court sided with the government and sentenced Johnson to a 15-year prison term. The court of appeals affirmed. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Scalia, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 811,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 811,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Corrections and Sentencing
Criminal Law