United States v. Hayes
United States Supreme Court
555 U.S. 415 (2009)

- Written by Sara Rhee, JD
Facts
In 2004, police were called to the home of Randy Edward Hayes (defendant) after receiving a report of domestic violence. At Hayes’s home, police discovered that he was in possession of a rifle. Hayes was indicted under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9) for possession of a firearm after being convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The predicate misdemeanor crime was a 1994 conviction for battery against his then-wife. Hayes moved to dismiss the indictment on the ground that § 922(g)(9) required that a predicate offense include, as a distinct element, a domestic relationship between the aggressor and the victim. Hayes maintained that his 1994 conviction was for a generic battery offense that did not require as an element a domestic relationship. The United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia denied Hayes’s motion. After entering a conditional guilty plea, Hayes appealed. The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed. Certiorari was granted.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Ginsburg, J.)
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