No. 19-8709October Term 2019Decided Jun 14, 2021
Greer v. United States
This case asked how federal appeals courts should handle unpreserved errors after Rehaif clarified that, in felon-in-possession cases, the government must prove the defendant knew he was a felon.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jun 14, 2021
- What it's about
This case asked how federal appeals courts should handle unpreserved errors after Rehaif clarified that, in felon-in-possession cases, the government must prove the defendant knew he was a felon. The Court held that on plain-error review, an appellate court may look beyond the trial record, and a defendant is not entitled to relief without showing a reasonable probability that the outcome would have been different if the Rehaif error had not occurred.
Question presented
Whether when applying plain-error review based upon an intervening United States Supreme Court decision, a circuit court of appeals may review matters outside the trial record to determine whether the error affected a defendant’s substantial rights or impacted the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of the trial?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit / Decision released Jun 14, 2021
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Timing
Decided June 14, 2021
The Court released its decision on June 14, 2021 without hearing oral argument.
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Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Jul 25, 2026
- Method
- Methodology