Greer v. United States, 593 U.S. ___ (2021), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that an unobjected-to failure to instruct the jury that the defendant must have known they were a felon is not structural error requiring reversal. Moreover, it would be difficult to show plain error because "convicted felons ordinarily know that they are convicted felons."[1][2] The case was consolidated with United States v. Gary; Sotomayor dissented to the court's assessment of Gary.[2]
Greer v. United States | |
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Decided June 14, 2021 | |
Full case name | Greer v. United States |
Citations | 593 U.S. ___ (more) |
Holding | |
An unobjected-to failure to instruct the jury that the defendant must have known they were a felon is not structural error requiring reversal. Moreover, it would be difficult to show plain error because "convicted felons ordinarily know that they are convicted felons." | |
Court membership | |
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Case opinions | |
Majority | Kavanaugh |
Concur/dissent | Sotomayor |