Apprendi v. New Jersey
- Decided
- June 26, 2000
- Docket
- 99-478
- Status
- Published
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
Cited 28,372 timesNo negative treatment found in this library
What later courts said
- holding that it is for the jury, not the judge, to decide defendant’s intent for purposes of sentence enhancement — State v. Hoskins (2000)
- concluding that 18 U.S.C. § 3553 [b] [1], which makes Federal Sentencing Guidelines mandatory, is incompatible with Blakely and must be invalidated — State v. Fagan (2006)
- holding that all facts that would enhance the defendant's sentence above the statutory maximum must be found by a jury — State v. Collins (2008)
Each line is a later court’s own words about this case, not a summary. Read the opinion before relying on it.
How the opinion begins
Justice Stevens delivered the opinion of the Court.
A New Jersey statute classifies the possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose as a “second-degree” offense. N. J. Stat. Ann. § 2C:39-4(a) (West 1995). Such an offense is punishable by imprisonment for “between five years and 10 years.” §2C:4S-6(a)(2). A separate statute, described by that State’s Supreme Court as a “hate crime” law, provides for an “extended term” of imprisonment if the trial judge finds, by a preponderance of the evidence, that “[t]he de [*469] fendant in committing the crime acted with a purpose to intimidate an individual or group of individuals because of race, color, gender, handicap, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity.” N. J. Stat. Ann. §2C:44-3(e) (West Supp. 1999-2000). The extended term authorized by the hate crime law for second-degree offenses is imprisonment for “between 10 and 20 years.” § 2C:43-7(a)(3).
The question presented is whether the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment requires that a factual determination authorizing an increase in the maximum prison sentence for an offense from 10 to 20 years be made by a jury on the basis of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Statutes cited
Cite this
Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000)Read the full opinion
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