United States v. Hayes

United States v. Hayes
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued November 10, 2008 Decided February 24, 2009
Full case name	United States v. Hayes
Docket no.	07-608
Citations	555 U.S. 415 (more) 129 S. Ct. 1079; 172 L. Ed. 2d 816; 2009 U.S. LEXIS 1634; 77 USLW 4123; 09 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 2199; 2009 Daily Journal D.A.R. 2612, 21 Fla. L. Weekly Fed. S 643
Case history
Prior	District court denied defendant's motion to dismiss indictment, 377 F. Supp. 2d 540 (N.D.W.Va. 2005); appeals court reversed, 482 F.3d 749 (4th Cir. 2007).
Subsequent	On remand, appeals court affirmed denial of motion to dismiss, 337 Fed.Appx. 285 (4th Cir. 2009).
Holding
A conviction for a state crime of "domestic violence" obtains when the defendant is convicted of a crime based on actions which in fact constitute domestic violence; a state statute specifically proscribing domestic violence is not required
Court membership
Chief Justice John Roberts Associate Justices John P. Stevens · Antonin Scalia Anthony Kennedy · David Souter Clarence Thomas · Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stephen Breyer · Samuel Alito
Case opinions
Majority	Ginsburg, joined by Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Breyer, Alito; Thomas (all but Part III)
Dissent	Roberts, joined by Scalia
Laws applied
Federal Gun Control Act, Sections 922(g)(9) and 933(a)(33)(A)

United States v. Hayes, 555 U.S. 415 (2009), is a United States Supreme Court case interpreting Section 921(a)(33)(A) of the federal Gun Control Act of 1968, as amended in 1996. The Court held that a domestic relationship is not necessarily a defining element of the predicate offense to support a conviction for possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.