Wooden v. United States

William Wooden asked the Supreme Court to decide whether 10 burglary convictions from one night in a single storage facility should count as separate criminal "occasions" under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The case tests whether the Sixth Circuit read the phrase "committed on occasions different from one another" too broadly.

The case is still pending, and no oral argument is scheduled yet. The dispute is whether Wooden's one-night series of break-ins should count as one occasion or several under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

The answer could change how federal sentencing enhancements apply when several convictions come from one continuous episode. For example, a defendant whose crimes happened during one night could face a much longer sentence if each count is treated separately.

No decision window is available yet. Watch for oral argument or another scheduling move from the Court.

The fight is over whether Wooden's 10 burglary convictions from one night count as one occasion or many under ACCA. That answer affects the sentencing enhancement.

It could affect defendants whose convictions came from a single criminal episode. If counts are split apart, federal sentences can rise sharply.

The next key step is a scheduling move from the Supreme Court. There is no decision window available yet.