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No. 20-443October Term 2020Decided Mar 4, 2022Updated May 24, 2026

Docket 20-443October Term 2020 (2020–2021)

United States v. Tsarnaev

This case arose from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence for the Boston Marathon bombing and related crimes.

Case status

Decided 6-3 · March 4, 2022

Read the opinion (PDF)
Current stage
Decided
Latest event
Decision released Mar 4, 2022
Case Accepted
Arguments
Decision ReleasedMar 4, 2022
What it's about

This case arose from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s death sentence for the Boston Marathon bombing and related crimes. The Supreme Court considered whether the First Circuit was wrong to throw out his capital sentence because of how the trial court questioned jurors about pretrial publicity and because it kept out evidence that his older brother may have been involved in a separate triple homicide.

Question presented

1. Whether the court of appeals erred in concluding that respondent’s capital sentences must be vacated on the ground that the district court, during its 21-day voir dire, did not ask each prospective juror for a specific accounting of the pretrial media coverage that he or she had read, heard, or seen about respondent’s case. 2. Whether the district court committed reversible error at the penalty phase of respondent’s trial by excluding evidence that respondent’s older brother was allegedly involved in different crimes two years before the offenses for which respondent was convicted.

Case path

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit / Decision released Mar 4, 2022

Area

Decided Supreme Court case

Timing

Decided March 4, 2022

The Court released its decision on March 4, 2022 without hearing oral argument.

Activity

Docket activity6
  • Brief added: Questions Presented

    May 24, 2026 | Court records

  • Opinion added: opinion

    Mar 4, 2022 | Court records

  • Court Order added: Main Document

    Jun 21, 2021 | Court records

  • Court Order added: Certificate of Word Count

    Jun 21, 2021 | Court records

  • Court Order added: Proof of Service

    Jun 21, 2021 | Court records

  • Brief added: Petition

    Oct 6, 2020 | Court records