No. 19-8137October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020
Posadas-Gonzalez v. United States
The Supreme Court did not take up this case, so the lower-court result remains in place and the justices did not settle the legal question.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
Posadas-Gonzalez is petitioning the Supreme Court to review a decision made by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The specific details of the legal dispute are not provided in the available records.
Question presented
Whether the "use of physical force" clause in the statutory definition of "violent felony" in the Armed Career Criminal Act, 18 U.S.C. § 924(e)(2)(B)(i), encompasses offenses that can be committed with a mens rea of recklessness?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit / Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Briefing
What it's about
Posadas-Gonzalez asked the Supreme Court to review his federal sentence, saying the lower courts wrongly increased it under federal sentencing rules. The Court declined to take the case, leaving the Fifth Circuit's result in place without deciding the underlying issue.
Vote
The case was not scheduled for argument, and the materials provided do not include a vote breakdown or written merits opinion.
Impact
For Posadas-Gonzalez, that means his sentence stays in place. For other people challenging sentence increases, especially in the Fifth Circuit, the Court did not create a nationwide answer on the issue.
What's next
This Supreme Court docket action is over. Posadas-Gonzalez's lower-court sentence remains in effect because the Court did not review the case.
What did the Supreme Court do in Posadas-Gonzalez v. United States?
It declined to review the case and left the Fifth Circuit's result in place. The Court did not decide the underlying sentencing question.
Who is affected by Posadas-Gonzalez v. United States?
Posadas-Gonzalez is directly affected because his sentence stands. Other federal defendants do not get a new nationwide rule from this case.
What happens next in Posadas-Gonzalez v. United States?
Nothing further is expected from the Supreme Court in this docket. The lower-court judgment remains in effect.
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court did not take up this case, so the lower-court result remains in place and the justices did not settle the legal question.
Impact
For Posadas-Gonzalez, that means his sentence stays in place. For other people challenging sentence increases, especially in the Fifth Circuit, the Court did not create a nationwide answer on the issue.
Not official Court text.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
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
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology