No. 19-7986October Term 2019Decided Apr 20, 2020Updated Sep 3, 2026
Hamm v. United States
The Supreme Court declined to review Hamm's case, without deciding whether the claimed plea-hearing error required reversal.
Case status
Decided · April 20, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 20, 2020
- What it's about
This is a pending case where the petitioner has asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court decision involving the United States government, while also requesting permission to proceed without paying standard filing fees.
Question presented
1. Whether the district court’s failure to inform Petitioner of the nature of the charges against him, in violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(b)(1)(G), is a structural error that requires automatic reversal of his conviction. 2. Whether the district court’s failure to inform Petitioner of the nature of the charges against him, in violation of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 11(b)(1)(G), is a plain error that affected Petitioner’s substantial rights and the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings.
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit / Decision released Apr 20, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court declined to review Hamm's case, without deciding whether the claimed plea-hearing error required reversal.
Impact
The decision leaves Hamm's lower-court result unchanged. For example, defendants in the Sixth Circuit raising similar plea-hearing claims do not receive a new nationwide Supreme Court rule from this case.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
Hamm asked the Supreme Court to review whether a judge's failure to explain the nature of criminal charges before a plea required reversal. The Court declined review and did not decide the merits, leaving the Sixth Circuit's result in place.
Vote
The Court declined to hear the case; no vote count or opinion lineup is stated.
Impact
The decision leaves Hamm's lower-court result unchanged. For example, defendants in the Sixth Circuit raising similar plea-hearing claims do not receive a new nationwide Supreme Court rule from this case.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished its action on this docket. The Sixth Circuit's result remains in effect.
What did the Supreme Court do in Hamm v. United States?
The Court declined to review the case. It did not decide the merits of Hamm's claims.
Who is affected by the outcome in Hamm v. United States?
Hamm remains bound by the Sixth Circuit's result. Similar defendants received no new nationwide Supreme Court rule on plea-hearing errors.
What happens next in Hamm v. United States?
The Supreme Court's docket action is finished. The lower-court result remains in place.
Timing
Decided April 20, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 20, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 3, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Mar 9, 2020 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology