No. 23-7483October Term 2024Decided Jun 20, 2025
Edgardo Esteras, Petitioner v. United States
The Supreme Court ruled that when a district court decides whether to revoke a defendant's supervised release and impose a prison sentence, it cannot consider retributive factors such as the seriousness of the offense or the need for just punishment.
Case status
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Jun 20, 2025
- What it's about
The Supreme Court ruled that when a district court decides whether to revoke a defendant's supervised release and impose a prison sentence, it cannot consider retributive factors such as the seriousness of the offense or the need for just punishment. The Court held that the relevant statute explicitly excludes these specific sentencing factors, emphasizing that supervised release is intended for rehabilitation rather than additional punishment for the original crime.
Question presented
When revoking supervised release and imposing a prison sentence, may a district court consider the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)(2)(A)—namely, “the seriousness of the offense,” “promot[ing] respect for the law,” and “just punishment”—even though these factors are not explicitly referenced in the supervised release statute?
- Case path
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit / Decision released Jun 20, 2025
- Area
Criminal Procedure
Documents
Related cases




Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary-source trail available.
- Note
- Plain-English explainer. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Mar 31, 2026
- Method
- Methodology
Primary materials8
Supreme Court docket 23-7483
docket | Mar 31, 2026
Primary case document
Supreme Court document | Mar 31, 2026
CourtListener docket record
docket | Mar 31, 2026
Questions Presented
brief | Mar 31, 2026
Esteras
opinion | Jun 20, 2025
opinion
opinion | Jun 20, 2025
Oral Arguments - Esteras
audio | Feb 25, 2025
Petition
brief | May 15, 2024