Welch v. United States
578 U.S. 120 · Decided April 18, 2016 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Welch v. United States was decided on April 18, 2016 by a vote of 7–1. The Court vacated the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Retroactivity of new rights” in the Criminal Procedure area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 578 U.S. 120 · 136 S. Ct. 1257 · 194 L. Ed. 2d 387 · 2016 U.S. LEXIS 2451
- Docket number
- 15-6418
- Decided
- April 18, 2016
- Argued
- March 30, 2016
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 7–1
- Majority opinion
- Anthony M. Kennedy
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Retroactivity of new rights
- Issue area
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal provision
- Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Liberal what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Majority | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Majority | |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Majority | |
| Justice Sonia Sotomayor | Majority | |
| Justice Elena Kagan | Majority |
Full case caption
Welch v. United States
SCDB identifiers: case 2015-055, docket 2015-055-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Retroactivity of new rights”
- Montgomery v. Louisiana
- Roselva Chaidez v. United States
- Edward Dorsey, Sr. v. United States
- Edwards v. VannoyAltered precedent
- Greer v. United States
- Stephen Danforth v. Minnesota
Cases on the same legal provision: Fifth Amendment (due process)
- Johnson v. United StatesAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Kerry v. Din
- Beckles v. United States
- Sessions v. DimayaLaw held unconstitutional
- United States v. DavisLaw held unconstitutional
- Federal Communications Commission v. Fox Television Stations, Inc.
Same Term, same area (Criminal Procedure)
- Maryland v. James Kulbicki
- Chadrin Lee Mullenix v. Beatrice Luna
- Randy White v. Roger L. Wheeler
- Hurst v. FloridaAltered precedentLaw held unconstitutional
- Kansas v. Carr
- Montgomery v. Louisiana
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