John Cunningham v. California
549 U.S. 270 · Decided January 22, 2007 · Supreme Court of the United States
At a glance
John Cunningham v. California was decided on January 22, 2007 by a vote of 6–3. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines” in the Criminal Procedure area. SCDB records that the Court declared a state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision unconstitutional.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 549 U.S. 270 · 127 S. Ct. 856 · 166 L. Ed. 2d 856 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 1324
- Docket number
- 05-6551
- Decided
- January 22, 2007
- Argued
- October 11, 2006
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 6–3
- Majority opinion
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Held unconstitutional
- A state or territorial law, regulation or constitutional provision
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Majority | |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice David H. Souter | Majority | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Majority | |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
John Cunningham v. California
SCDB identifiers: case 2006-014, docket 2006-014-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Statutory construction of criminal laws, sentencing guidelines”
- Alphonso James, Jr. v. United States
- Victor A. Rita v. United States
- Washington v. Arturo R. Recuenco
- Jeffrey Jerome Salinas v. United States
- James D. Logan v. United States
- Brian Michael Gall v. United States
Cases on the same legal provision: Sixth Amendment (right to trial by jury)
- Oregon v. Thomas Eugene Ice
- Hurst v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado
- Ray A. Lewis v. United States
- United States v. HaymondLaw held unconstitutional
- Ramos v. LouisianaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Robert L. Ayers, Jr. v. Fernando Belmontes
- Thomas L. Carey v. Mathew Musladin
- Lonnie Lee Burton v. Belinda Stewart
- United States v. Juan Resendiz-Ponce
- Jones v. Bock
- Gary Lawrence v. Florida
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error