{"argument_date":"2016-01-12T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2016-01-12T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2015","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argues that a presumption of harm lacks support in precedent.","The government argues that the Guidelines remain central to federal sentencing.","Justice Alito questioned the allocation of the burden of persuasion in specific scenarios.","Justice Sotomayor challenged the distinction between general and specific evidence."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 52-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 52-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-18","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 8-18"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 36-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 16-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 40-48","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 40-48"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 52-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 52-6"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 6-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 6-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 18-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 18-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 46-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 46-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 12-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 12-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 8-42","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 8-42"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 12-24","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 12-24"}]}],"caption":"Molina-Martinez v. United States","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:22.561747Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a defendant must prove that a sentencing guideline error changed their sentence.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2016-01-12T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2015","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/14-8913.html","primary_docket":"14-8913","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-30T19:09:24.140449Z","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":["The case asks if a court error in calculating sentencing guidelines automatically invalidates a sentence. the side that brought the case argues the error is not automatically harmful. The government argues the error is presumptively harmful."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on January 12, 2016."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-18","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 8-18"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case wants the Court to reject the presumption that guideline errors are always harmful.","The government wants the Court to treat guideline errors as automatically prejudicial."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argues that plain error review does not support a presumption of harm.","The government argues that the Guidelines are central to federal sentencing."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Justice Alito asked if the burden of persuasion shifts to the prosecution when evidence is absent.","Justice Sotomayor asked why the side that brought the case labels certain evidence as general rather than specific."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 52-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 52-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 36-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 16-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 40-48","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 40-48"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 52-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 52-6"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 6-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 6-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 18-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 18-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 46-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 46-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 12-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 12-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 8-42","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 8-42"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 12-24","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 12-24"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the standard for reviewing sentencing calculations. It determines how courts handle errors in federal sentencing guidelines. The outcome shapes the rights of defendants in federal courts."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}]},{"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 52-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 52-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 8-18","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 8-18"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 36-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 36-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 16-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 16-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 40-48","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 40-48"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 52-6","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 52-6"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 6-12","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 6-12"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 18-36","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 18-36"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 46-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 46-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 12-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 12-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 8-42","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 8-42"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 12-24","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 12-24"}]}],"slug":"2015-14-8913-molina-martinez-v-united-states","term":"2015","title":"Does a sentencing error require proof of harm?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 24, lines 42-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 24, lines 42-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 3, lines 20-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2015/14-8913_d1o2.pdf","page_label":"file page 3, lines 20-50"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}