Supreme Court Emphasizes Role of Juries With Three-Strikes Gun Law

Justices Gorsuch and Jackson clashed over the practical nature of requiring juries to make factual determinations needed for sentencing enhancements.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch waits for the arrival of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, on Dec. 3, 2018. Jabin Botsford - Pool/Getty Images

The Supreme Court ruled on June 21 that juries, rather than judges were responsible for determining facts that support enhanced sentences for criminals possessing firearms.

The case—Erlinger v. United States—centered on the application of a three-strike law known as the Armed Career Criminal Act. That federal law mandates a 15-year minimum in sentencing for individuals who had prior convictions on three separate occasions of either violent felonies or “serious” drug offenses.