Supreme Court of the United States

Clifton Terelle McNeill v. United States

June 6, 2011180 L. Ed. 2d 35

Summary

The Supreme Court held that under the Armed Career Criminal Act, the maximum term of imprisonment for a prior state drug offense is the maximum sentence applicable at the time of the defendant's state conviction. This interpretation avoids absurd results where prior convictions could effectively disappear due to subsequent changes in state law.