{"argument_date":"2002-04-15T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2002-04-15T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","paragraphs":["Michael Dreeben argued that this case reflects typical federal drug prosecutions.","He noted that these trials occurred before a recent Supreme Court decision.","Sullivan argued that the sentence did not match the jury's verdict.","He stated that the government may not have presented drug quantities to the grand jury."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-9"}]}],"caption":"United States v. Cotton","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:32.044029Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"},{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:32.070725Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a judge can impose a higher sentence based on drug amounts not proven to a jury.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2002-04-15T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2001","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/01-687.html","primary_docket":"01-687","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-31T22:41:03.904869Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":1},{"correction_note":"Migrated to the dated official Court activity contract without model use.","created_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z","maturity":"official_transcript","revision_number":2}],"schema_version":"1.1","sections":[{"heading":"What this case is about","paragraphs":["This case tests the scope of jury rights in federal drug trials. It follows a lower court action that allowed a judge to set a sentence based on unproven facts."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on April 15, 2002."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-9"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["The government wants to keep the current sentence structure for drug cases.","Cotton wants the sentence reduced because the jury did not prove the drug amount."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["The government argues that judges can consider drug amounts without a jury finding.","Cotton argues that any fact increasing the sentence must be proven to a jury."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Chief Justice Rehnquist asked if the indictment and verdict matched the final sentence.","Justice Souter asked if the government presented drug quantities to the grand jury."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-9"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the limits of judicial sentencing power in federal drug prosecutions. It determines whether judges can rely on unproven facts to increase prison terms. The outcome shapes the balance between prosecutorial discretion and defendant rights."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}]},{"heading":"What happens next","paragraphs":["This article currently covers the argument record. Use the official docket link for later case activity."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 5-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 5-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 7-9"}]}],"slug":"2001-01-687-united-states-v-cotton","term":"2001","title":"Does a federal drug sentence require proof of drug quantity beyond a reasonable doubt?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 28, lines 19-45","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 28, lines 19-45"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 17-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 17-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 49, lines 31-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 49, lines 31-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 53, lines 4-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/pdfs/transcripts/2001/01-687.pdf","page_label":"file page 53, lines 4-6"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}