Nichols v. United States (1994)

Nichols v. United States, 511 U.S. 738 (1994), was a United States Supreme Court case that ruled that an uncounseled misdemeanor conviction, which resulted in a punishment other than imprisonment, can be used to enhance a sentence for a subsequent offense.

Nichols v. United States
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued January 10, 1994 Decided June 6, 1994
Full case name	Nichols v. United States
Citations	511 U.S. 738 (more)
Holding
A previous conviction for a misdemeanor offense where no counsel was present can be used to enhance a sentence for an offender's subsequent conviction as long as the misdemeanor did not result in imprisonment.
Court membership
Chief Justice William Rehnquist Associate Justices Harry Blackmun · John P. Stevens Sandra Day O'Connor · Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy · David Souter Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Case opinions
Majority	Rehnquist, joined by Thomas, O'Connor, Scalia, Kennedy
Concurrence	Souter
Dissent	Blackmun, Ginsberg, joined by Stevens
Laws applied
Sixth Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment

External links

• ^ Text of Staples v. United States, 511 U.S. 738 (1994) is available from: Cornell Findlaw Justia Library of Congress Oyez (oral argument audio)