Gamble v. United States

The case asked whether the federal government could prosecute Terance Gamble for being a felon in possession of a firearm after Alabama had already prosecuted him for the same conduct. The Supreme Court said that second prosecution did not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause because state and federal governments are separate sovereigns.

The decision keeps in place a rule that lets both a state and the federal government bring charges based on the same act. That matters for defendants like Gamble, who can face two prosecutions when the same conduct breaks both state and federal law.

The Supreme Court has finished this case. In practice, the decision leaves the separate-sovereigns rule in effect for future state and federal prosecutions.

The case asked whether double jeopardy bars a federal prosecution after a state already prosecuted the same conduct. The Court said no when different sovereigns are involved.

A person may still face both state and federal charges for one act if each government has its own law. That can mean two separate prosecutions.

This docket action is over. Lower courts and prosecutors will continue applying the separate-sovereigns rule unless the Court revisits it later.