Hughes v. United States
Decided June 4, 2018. Anthony McLeod Kennedy delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 17-155 · 584 U.S. 675 (2018) · Cited 158 times
Holding
A Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(c)(1)(C) plea agreement is “based on” the defendant’s Federal Sentencing Guidelines range so long as that range was part of the framework the district court relied on in imposing the sentence or accepting the agreement; thus, Hughes may seek a sentencing reduction under 18 U. S. C. §3582(c)(2).
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 6–3.
Majority · 6
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed a concurring opinion
- Elena Kagan
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Stephen G. Breyer
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Anthony M. Kennedy · delivered the opinion of the Court
Dissenting · 3
- John G. Roberts, Jr. · filed a dissenting opinion
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Freeman v. United States · 564 U.S. 522 (2011)
- Peugh v. United States · 569 U.S. 530 (2013)
- United States v. Booker · 543 U.S. 220 (2005)
- Saudi Arabia v. Nelson · 507 U.S. 349 (1993)
- Marks v. United States · 430 U.S. 188 (1977)
- Arizona v. Gant · 556 U.S. 332 (2009)
- Dillon v. United States · 560 U.S. 817 (2010)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- United States v. Hyde · 520 U.S. 670 (1997)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
Explore from here
Anthony McLeod Kennedy’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2018). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).