No. 19-8015October Term 2019Decided Apr 20, 2020Updated Sep 3, 2026
Cruz v. United States
The Court declined review, leaving the Eleventh Circuit's result in place without deciding the merits.
Case status
Decided · April 20, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 20, 2020
- What it's about
The Court held that a district court’s failure to advise a defendant that the government must prove the defendant knew of his prohibited status under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) is not a structural error requiring automatic reversal. A defendant who did not preserve the error must show a reasonable probability that it affected the outcome, so the United States prevailed.
Question presented
Whether the district court’s failure to advise a defendant of the “knowledge-of-status” element of a 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) offense, as required by Rehaif v. United States, 139 S. Ct. 2191 (2019), is a structural error that requires automatic reversal?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit / Decision released Apr 20, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Court declined review, leaving the Eleventh Circuit's result in place without deciding the merits.
Impact
The lower-court result remains in place for Cruz. The case concerned defendants charged under the federal gun-possession law who were not advised that the government must prove they knew their prohibited status.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
The Supreme Court declined to review Cruz's case on April 20, 2020. It did not decide whether failing to tell a defendant about the knowledge-of-status requirement in a federal gun-possession case requires automatic reversal.
Impact
The lower-court result remains in place for Cruz. The case concerned defendants charged under the federal gun-possession law who were not advised that the government must prove they knew their prohibited status.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished its action in this case. The lower-court judgment remains in effect.
What did the Supreme Court do in Cruz v. United States?
The Court declined to review the case. It did not decide the legal question raised by Cruz.
Who is affected by the issue in Cruz's case?
People charged under the federal gun-possession law may raise similar arguments when they were not advised of the knowledge-of-status requirement.
What happens next after Cruz v. United States?
The Supreme Court's action is complete. The Eleventh Circuit's result remains in place for Cruz.
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 13, 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