Supreme Court of the United States · 2014-01-27
21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)
Case and law context
Role: applied; posture: criminal; jury conviction on heroin distribution with death-results enhancement, affirmed by CA8; certiorari by defendant on the causation standard for "results from"; result: mixed; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C)
Uncertainty
None recorded
Misfit
The enhancement is a penalty provision that (via Apprendi/Alleyne) is treated as an ELEMENT of an aggravated offence, with (a)(1) as a lesser included offence; the notation has no way to say "element of the aggravated crime but not of the base crime", nor that the claim succeeded on the base offence and failed on the enhancement (recorded as result mixed).
death-results has internal structure the flat id hides: actual cause (decided: but-for) vs. legal/proximate cause (certiorari granted, expressly not decided) vs. the independently-sufficient-cause exception (expressly left open). Sub-ids death-results.actual-cause / .proximate-cause would be cleaner.
The holding is not-satisfied on a mix of bases: the but-for rule is a pure question of law, and the application rests on the Government's concession that there was no but-for evidence. The block is tagged [no-evidence] (conviction reversed for want of proof under the correct standard); the [law] half survives only in the `rule` lines and the concession cannot share the one basis slot.
Concurrence in the judgment (Ginsburg, Sotomayor) rests only on lenity and rejects the "because of" analogy; `scope` has `dissent` but no value for a concurrence, so a rule line still cannot be attached to it. Alito did not join Part III-B (policy discussion).
IR text appends the footnotes after the opinions without markers; the `held` quote for act.distribute comes from a footnote whose anchor in the body is lost.
B · Case × element grid
Top-level elements follow claim order in panels of up to six elements. Case rows repeat across panels. Every recorded block retains its holding and basis; multiple blocks are not merged into a case-level verdict. ✓ satisfied · ✗ not satisfied · ○ not reached · · not addressed. Muted blocks are not counted. Sub-element evidence remains on case and element pages.
Elements 1–6 of 18
| Case | Mens rea: "knowingly or intentionally" (including knowledge that the substance is a controlled substance) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | Authorization exception ("Except as authorized by this subchapter") for registered practitioners/handlers | Possession (actual, constructive, sole, or joint dominion and control) | Specific intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense the possessed controlled substance | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | ○ not reached · basis not recordedNot counted: applied/merits | ○ not reached · basis not recordedNot counted: applied/merits | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | ○ not reached · basis not recordedNot counted: applied/merits |
Elements 7–12 of 18
Elements 13–18 of 18
| Case | Drug conspiracy route under 21 U.S.C. § 846 (cross-statute) | Fifth Amendment Due Process / Equal Protection challenge to carrier-medium weight sentencing (Chapman) | Affirmative defense of entrapment (government inducement + lack of predisposition) | Rule of lenity in construing ambiguous penalty provisions of § 841(b) | Fifth Amendment void-for-vagueness challenge to "mixture or substance" or analogue provisions | Continuing-offense venue for § 841(a)(1) possession with intent to distribute / distribution (18 U.S.C. § 3237(a)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed | · not addressed |
Instances and excluded annotation blocks
| Case | Element | Holding and scope | Pattern | Exact source quotations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — satisfied · conceded (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Distribution (delivery / actual, constructive, or attempted transfer of a controlled substance) | satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: conceded; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) The underlying (a)(1) distribution was not contested; it survives as a lesser included offense with the default (b)(1)(C) sentence. | hand-to-hand-sale-to-user | Count 2 alleged that Burrage unlawfully distributed heroin on April 14, 2010, and that "death ... resulted from the use of th[at] substance"-thus subjecting Burrage to the 20-year mandatory minimum of § 841(b)(1)(C).Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [1760:1976] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Thus, the crime charged in count 2 of Burrage's superseding indictment has two principal elements: (i) knowing or intentional distribution of heroin, § 841(a)(1), and (ii) death caused by ("resulting from") the use of that drug, § 841(b)(1)(C).Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [7420:7664] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.It is undisputed that Burrage is guilty of that lesser included offense.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [27784:27856] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3. |
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — not · no-evidence (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Death or serious bodily injury results from the use of such substance (§ 841(b)(1)(A)-(C) 20-year mandatory minimum) | not Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: no-evidence; claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C); count: count 2 (heroin sold to Banka; (b)(1)(C) death-results 20-year mandatory minimum); subject: count=count 2 (heroin sold to Banka; (b)(1)(C) death-results 20-year mandatory minimum) Drug was one of several contributing to a mixed-drug overdose; no expert could say the victim would have lived without it, nor that it alone was sufficient. Contributing/substantial-factor causation rejected; independently-sufficient-cause rule left open; proximate cause (foreseeability) question not reached. | contributing-cause-in-mixed-drug-overdose | Banka and his wife, Tammy Noragon Banka (Noragon), then met with petitioner Marcus Burrage and purchased one gram of heroin from him.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [828:961] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Dr. Eugene Schwilke, a forensic toxicologist, determined that multiple drugs were present in Banka's system at the time of his death, including heroin metabolites, codeine, alprazolam, clonazepam metabolites, and oxycodone.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [2054:2277] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Dr. Schwilke could not say whether Banka would have lived had he not taken the heroin.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [2689:2775] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.She described the cause of death as "mixed drug intoxication" with heroin, oxycodone, alprazolam, and clonazepam all playing a "contributing" role.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [3164:3311] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.The court instead gave an instruction requiring the Government to prove "that the heroin distributed by the Defendant was a contributing cause of Joshua Banka's death."Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [4268:4436] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3."Results from" imposes, in other words, a requirement of actual causality.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [8866:8940] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.We hold that, at least where use of the drug distributed by the defendant is not an independently sufficient cause of the victim's death or serious bodily injury, a defendant cannot be liable under the penalty enhancement provision of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) unless such use is a but-for cause of the death or injury.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [24546:24864] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.the Government concedes that there is no "evidence that Banka would have lived but for his heroin use,"Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [25006:25109] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Burrage's conviction with respect to count 2 of the superseding indictment is therefore reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [25138:25314] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3. |
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Mens rea: "knowingly or intentionally" (including knowledge that the substance is a controlled substance) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Partial penalty-tier drug type and quantity table (selected § 841(b)(1)(A)-(D) hook) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) One gram; (b)(1)(C) is the no-threshold tier, so quantity was not in issue. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
| Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 — not reached (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md)) | Controlled substance (21 U.S.C. §§ 802(6), 812 Schedules I-V) or counterfeit substance (§ 841(a)(2)) | not_reached Excluded from merits counts applied / merits claim: (a)(1),(b)(1)(C) Heroin (Schedule I) undisputed. | Unspecified route | No source quotation recorded for this block. |
Court interpretations recorded from this case
interpretation
"Results from" imposes, in other words, a requirement of actual causality.
Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md))
"Results from" imposes, in other words, a requirement of actual causality.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [8866:8940] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Under Burrage v. United States (571 U.S. 204 (2014)), "results from" requires actual ("but-for") causation (at least where the distributed drug was not an independently sufficient cause of death), rejecting "contributing cause" instructions.
interpretation
We hold that, at least where use of the drug distributed by the defendant is not an independently sufficient cause of the victim's death or serious bodily injury, a defendant cannot be liable under the penalty enhancement provision of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) unless such use is a but-for cause of the death or injury.
Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md))
We hold that, at least where use of the drug distributed by the defendant is not an independently sufficient cause of the victim's death or serious bodily injury, a defendant cannot be liable under the penalty enhancement provision of 21 U.S.C. § 841(b)(1)(C) unless such use is a but-for cause of the death or injury.Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [24546:24864] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Under Burrage v. United States (571 U.S. 204 (2014)), "results from" requires actual ("but-for") causation (at least where the distributed drug was not an independently sufficient cause of death), rejecting "contributing cause" instructions.
interpretation
Thus, the crime charged in count 2 of Burrage's superseding indictment has two principal elements: (i) knowing or intentional distribution of heroin, § 841(a)(1), and (ii) death caused by ("resulting from") the use of that drug, § 841(b)(1)(C).
Burrage v. United States — 571 U.S. 204 (2014) · Supreme Court of the United States · 2014 (21usc841: author: Fable · QA: PASS (QA1, neov2/qa/cases-v1-QA1.md))
Thus, the crime charged in count 2 of Burrage's superseding indictment has two principal elements: (i) knowing or intentional distribution of heroin, § 841(a)(1), and (ii) death caused by ("resulting from") the use of that drug, § 841(b)(1)(C).Source:
docroot/ir/caselaw/us_571.jsonl#/us/571/0204-01; Unicode character offsets [7420:7664] (end exclusive); SHA-256 79b67b6f900bb4e1d188103a922f7b491948af8153ad62495453588c50be54b3.Penalty enhancements in § 841(b) that increase the statutory maximum or mandatory minimum operate as elements of an aggravated offense, with the base § 841(a)(1) violation serving as a lesser included offense.