{"argument_date":"2019-12-10T00:00:00Z","arguments":[{"argument_date":"2019-12-10T00:00:00Z","heading":"What happened at the argument","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2019","official_transcript_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","paragraphs":["Ms. Turner argued that Rule 51 requires parties to state desired actions when a ruling is made.","She contended that telling the court the desired action preserves the claim without needing a second objection.","Ms. Ratner clarified what is preserved when a defendant argues for a lower sentence than received.","She outlined three key points regarding the preservation of sentencing arguments under current rules."],"reargument":false,"sequence":1,"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 22-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 22-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 42-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 42-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 6-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 6-26"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 10-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 10-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 38-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 38-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 34-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 34-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 40-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 40-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 8-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 8-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 18-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 18-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 10-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 10-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 8-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 8-26"}]}],"caption":"Holguin-Hernandez v. United States","case_history":[{"changed_at":"2026-08-29T20:06:19.609857Z","explanation":"An official oral-argument transcript was verified.","status":"argued"}],"case_status":"argued","dek":"The dispute centers on whether a defendant must explicitly object to a specific sentence to preserve a substantive reasonableness argument for appellate review.","dek_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}],"dispositions":[],"latest_court_document_date":"2019-12-10T00:00:00Z","maturity":"official_transcript","official_detail_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcript/2019","official_disposition_urls":[],"official_docket_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/18-7739.html","primary_docket":"18-7739","revisions":[{"correction_note":"Rewritten to the concise citizen-facing editorial standard.","created_at":"2026-08-30T17:37:49.218768Z","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 procedural requirements for preserving sentencing errors. The core issue is whether a defendant's argument for a lower sentence automatically preserves a claim that the final sentence is substantively unreasonable."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}]},{"heading":"How the case got here","paragraphs":["The Supreme Court heard oral argument in this case on December 10, 2019."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 10-20"}]},{"heading":"What each side wants","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case wants the Court to rule that arguing for a lower sentence preserves a reasonableness claim for appeal.","The government wants the Court to rule that a party must explicitly object to the final sentence to preserve a reasonableness claim."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}]},{"heading":"What each side says","paragraphs":["the side that brought the case argues that Rule 51 requires parties to state desired actions, and arguing for a lower sentence satisfies this requirement without needing a second objection.","The government argues that a party must specifically object to the final sentence to preserve a substantive reasonableness argument for appellate review."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}]},{"heading":"What the justices asked","paragraphs":["Justice Alito asked if the parsimony principle identifies one precise correct sentence in every case.","Justice Ginsburg asked if counsel argued for a preferred sentence without claiming other sentences were excessive."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 10, lines 22-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 22-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 42-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 42-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 6-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 6-26"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 10-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 10-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 38-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 38-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 34-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 34-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 40-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 40-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 8-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 8-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 18-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 18-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 10-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 10-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 8-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 8-26"}]},{"heading":"Why it matters","paragraphs":["This case defines the procedural steps defendants must take to challenge sentencing errors. It clarifies the scope of Rule 51 in criminal proceedings. The outcome affects how courts handle sentencing appeals. It determines whether silence waives substantive reasonableness claims. This impacts the finality of criminal sentences. It shapes the burden on defendants during sentencing hearings."],"sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}]},{"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 22-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 10, lines 22-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 42-50","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 42-50"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 11, lines 6-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 11, lines 6-26"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 10-16","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 10-16"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 12, lines 38-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 12, lines 38-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 34-34","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 34-34"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 40-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 40-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 13, lines 8-10","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 13, lines 8-10"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 14, lines 18-22","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 14, lines 18-22"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 10-20","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 10-20"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 6, lines 40-46","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 6, lines 40-46"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 8, lines 10-40","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 8, lines 10-40"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 9, lines 8-26","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 9, lines 8-26"}]}],"slug":"2019-18-7739-holguin-hernandez-v-united-states","term":"2019","title":"Does arguing for a lower sentence preserve a reasonableness claim for appeal?","title_sources":[{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 17, lines 26-28","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 17, lines 26-28"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 27, lines 20-54","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 27, lines 20-54"},{"evidence_type":"Transcript","label":"Official Supreme Court Transcript — file page 4, lines 22-32","official_url":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2019/18-7739_if5n.pdf","page_label":"file page 4, lines 22-32"}],"topics":[],"undated_disposition_date_fallback":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-05T03:22:24Z"}