Criminal Defendants Lose at High Court on Firearm Sentencing (1)

The US Supreme Court sided with the federal government in a case about which laws judges should look at when determining whether to apply a 15-year mandatory minimum prison sentence.

In a 6-3 ruling Thursday, the justices said courts should look at law in place at the time of the original conviction. The opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito.

The case focuses on what time period a court should look at when determining whether a previous drug conviction is considered “serious” enough to trigger the Armed Career Criminal Act’s sentencing enhancement. The time period between the drug conviction and ...