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No. 19-8235October Term 2019Decided May 18, 2020

Docket 19-8235October Term 2019 (2019–2020)

Eaton v. United States

This case involves a challenge to supervised release and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Case status

Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released May 18, 2020
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedMay 18, 2020
What it's about

This case involves a challenge to supervised release and the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The petitioner argues that these measures constitute illegal punishments that the government cannot lawfully impose.

Question presented

Whether the court of appeals erred in holding that the district court’s failure to instruct the jury that the government must prove that the defendant knew he was a person prohibited from possessing a firearm under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) was not plain error.

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit / Decision released May 18, 2020

Area

Gun Rights

Grounding

Grounding
Primary-source trail available.
Note
Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
Checked
Mar 31, 2026
Primary materials5