{"argument_date":"2018-04-23T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2018-04-23T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2017","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argued that judicial integrity supports the sentence reduction.","The government argued that discretion must be guided by legal principles.","The government stated that appellate review requires a reason in the record."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 21-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 21-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 11-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 13-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 13-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 39-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 39-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 53-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 53-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 11-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 11-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 39-53","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 39-53"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 33-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 33-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 13-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 13-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 13-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 37-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 7-9"}]}],"caption":"Chavez-Meza v. United States","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:20.812025Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a lower court must provide a specific reason when it modifies a criminal sentence.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2018-04-23T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2017","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/17-5639.html","primary_docket":"17-5639","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-30T18:15:31.432003Z","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 examines the standard for reviewing a district court's decision to reduce a sentence. The core issue is whether the lower court must articulate a reason for its action."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on April 23, 2018."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 11-21"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case wants the Supreme Court to affirm the lower court's sentence reduction.","The government wants the Supreme Court to reverse the lower court's sentence reduction."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argues that judicial discretion allows a sentence change without a detailed explanation.","The government argues that meaningful appellate review requires a clear reason in the record."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Justice Ginsburg asked if a within-guidelines sentence can violate the law.","Justice Kennedy asked if a judge must explain a sentence change when guidelines shift."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 21-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 21-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 13-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 13-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 39-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 39-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 53-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 53-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 11-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 11-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 39-53","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 39-53"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 33-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 33-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 13-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 13-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 13-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 37-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 7-9"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the limits of judicial discretion in sentencing. It determines how appellate courts review lower court decisions. It affects the consistency of criminal sentencing nationwide."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}]},{"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 10, lines 21-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 21-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 11-21","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 11-21"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 13-25","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 13-25"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 39-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 39-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 5, lines 53-7","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 5, lines 53-7"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 11-15","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 11-15"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 39-53","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 39-53"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 7, lines 33-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 7, lines 33-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 13-23","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 13-23"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 13-17","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 13-17"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 27-31","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 27-31"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 37-39","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 37-39"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 7-9","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 7-9"}]}],"slug":"2017-17-5639-chavez-meza-v-united-states","term":"2017","title":"Can a district court change a sentence without explaining its reasoning?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 30, lines 43-43","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 30, lines 43-43"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 23-11","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2017/17-5639_5ifl.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 23-11"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}