Billy Joe Reynolds, Petitioner v. United States
The court held that Pre-SORNA sex offenders are not obligated to register unless the Attorney General specifies applicability.
565 U.S. 432 · No. 10-6549 · 2011 term · Roberts Court
Decided Jan 23, 2012 · argued Oct 3, 2011
Criminal procedure · Statutory construction of criminal laws: miscellaneous
Majority opinion: Stephen Breyer
The voteMajorityDissent
7–27 in the majority, 2 in dissent
2 dissents (7–2)
Reversed and remanded. Billy Joe Reynolds, Petitioner won.
What this ruling means
Reversed and remanded: the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit and sent the case back to that court for further proceedings that follow the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Billy Joe Reynolds, Petitioner was the petitioner, the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the case. “Won” means the Court gave that side the result it asked for.
From the Supreme Court Database. A justice who agreed with the result but not the reasoning counts in the majority.
Summary
The opening of the case’s Wikipedia article: what the case was about and what the Court held.
Reynolds v. United States 565 U.S. 432 (2012) is a United States Supreme Court case in which the court held that Pre-SORNA sex offenders are not obligated to register unless the Attorney General specifies applicability.
Data notes
The text is Wikipedia’s (CC BY-SA 4.0), matched to the case by its citation, docket number or name and year, and is not checked against the opinion. The site keeps the article’s opening section, ending on its last full sentence. The one-sentence summary under the title is the Decisions list’s: Wikipedia’s own ruling sentence, or, tagged “AI-written”, one Claude wrote from this opening.
How the justices voted
Each justice who took part, placed by their Martin–Quinn ideology score for the 2011 term. Filled: the 7 in the majority. Hollow: the 2 in dissent. Colour is the party of the president who appointed them.
Majority(7)
Stephen BreyerWrote the majority opinion
Sonia SotomayorJoined the majority
Elena KaganJoined the majority
Anthony KennedyJoined the majority
John RobertsJoined the majority
Samuel AlitoJoined the majority
Clarence ThomasJoined the majority
Dissent(2)
Antonin ScaliaWrote a dissent
Ruth GinsburgJoined a dissent
Data notes
Each justice’s vote and what they wrote are from the justice-centered file of the Supreme Court Database. “Wrote a concurrence” means the justice sided with the majority and wrote separately; a justice who dissented in part is counted on the side they took overall. A justice who wrote nothing is listed as joining their side.
Positions are each justice’s Martin–Quinn score for the case’s term, the same scores as the Ideology page: negative is more liberal, positive more conservative. A score sums up a justice’s votes across the whole term, so it says where they usually sit, not why they voted as they did here. The median line is the Court’s median justice that term.
The parties
Who brought the case to the Court, who answered it, and how it got there.
- Petitioner
- Billy Joe Reynolds, PetitionerPerson convicted of crime
- Respondent
- United StatesUnited States
- Reached the Court by
- Certiorari (the Court chose to hear it)
- Why it was taken
- Federal appeals courts had ruled differently on the question
Data notes
The names are the two sides of the case’s title. The description under each is the Supreme Court Database’s category for that party, in its own wording. The petitioner is the side that asked the Supreme Court to review the decision below. “Why it was taken” appears only when the majority opinion says lower courts disagreed or were unsure about the question; reasons that would fit any case (“to resolve the question presented”, “an important question”) are left out.
The law at issue
The law the Court was asked to apply, and the kind of power it used to decide.
- Provision
- 18-2250
- Kind of law
- Infrequently litigated statutes
- Decided by
- Statutory construction; Interpretation of administrative regulation or rule, or executive order
Data notes
The Supreme Court Database codes the main constitutional provision, statute or court rule each case turned on, and the basis of the decision: judicial review of a federal or state law, interpreting a statute, supervising the lower courts, and so on. A case can rest on more than one. “Overruled” counts only where the majority opinion says so.
Timeline
What happened at the Court and how the case got there, newest first.
- Jan 23, 2012DecidedDecided · Decided 7–2: reversed and remanded. Billy Joe Reynolds, Petitioner won.
- Oct 3, 2011ArguedArgued · Oral argument before the Court.
- Not datedTaken upTaken up · The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case (certiorari). Federal appeals courts had ruled differently on the question.
- Not datedCourt belowCourt below · Decided by the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit: reversed.
- Not datedBeganBegan · The case began in the Pennsylvania Western U.S. District Court.
Data notes
From the Supreme Court Database: the court the case began in, the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed and what that court did, how the case came to the Court, and the dates of argument and decision. The database does not date the steps in the lower courts. Court names are the database’s.
Other decisions on the same issue
40 other argued cases since 1946 on statutory construction of criminal laws: miscellaneous, newest first.
- Ellingburg v. United States607 U.S. 163Jan 20, 2026 · 607 U.S. 163Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Van Buren v. United States141 S. Ct. 1648Jun 3, 2021 · 141 S. Ct. 1648Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- United States. v. Briggs141 S. Ct. 467Dec 10, 2020 · 141 S. Ct. 467Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
- Shular v. United States140 S. Ct. 779Feb 26, 2020 · 140 S. Ct. 779Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Quarles v. United States139 S. Ct. 1872Jun 10, 2019 · 139 S. Ct. 1872Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Stokeling v. United States139 S. Ct. 544Jan 15, 2019 · 139 S. Ct. 544Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Nichols v. United States578 U.S. 104Apr 4, 2016 · 578 U.S. 104Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
- Elonis v. United States575 U.S. 723Jun 1, 2015 · 575 U.S. 723Criminal procedure8–18–1 band
- United States v. Apel571 U.S. 359Feb 26, 2014 · 571 U.S. 359Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Thomas Carr v. United States560 U.S. 438Jun 1, 2010 · 560 U.S. 438Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Deondery Chambers v. United States555 U.S. 122Jan 13, 2009 · 555 U.S. 122Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Larry Begay v. United States553 U.S. 137Apr 16, 2008 · 553 U.S. 137Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Alabama v. Michael Herman Bozeman533 U.S. 146Jun 11, 2001 · 533 U.S. 146Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Lackawanna County District Attorney, et al. v. Edward R. Coss, Jr.532 U.S. 394Apr 25, 2001 · 532 U.S. 394Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Earthy D. Daniels, Jr. v. United States532 U.S. 374Apr 25, 2001 · 532 U.S. 374Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Dewey J. Jones v. United States529 U.S. 848May 22, 2000 · 529 U.S. 848Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Maria Suzuki Ohler v. United States529 U.S. 753May 22, 2000 · 529 U.S. 753Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Robert A. Beck, II v. Ronald M. Prupis, et al.529 U.S. 494Apr 26, 2000 · 529 U.S. 494Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- United States v. Roy Lee Johnson529 U.S. 53Mar 1, 2000 · 529 U.S. 53Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Nathaniel Jones v. United States526 U.S. 227Mar 24, 1999 · 526 U.S. 227Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Francois Holloway, aka Abdu Ali v. United States526 U.S. 1Mar 2, 1999 · 526 U.S. 1Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- Debra Faye Lewis v. United States523 U.S. 155Mar 9, 1998 · 523 U.S. 155Criminal procedure8–18–1 band
- Mario Salinas v. United States522 U.S. 52Dec 2, 1997 · 522 U.S. 52Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Darren J. Custis v. United States511 U.S. 485May 23, 1994 · 511 U.S. 485Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- United States v. Ralph Stuart Granderson, Jr.511 U.S. 39Mar 22, 1994 · 511 U.S. 39Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- Thomas Lee Deal v. United States508 U.S. 129May 17, 1993 · 508 U.S. 129Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Joseph Williams v. United States503 U.S. 193Mar 9, 1992 · 503 U.S. 193Criminal procedure7–27–2 band
- Hughey v. United States495 U.S. 411May 21, 1990 · 495 U.S. 411Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Kozminski et al.487 U.S. 931Jun 29, 1988 · 487 U.S. 931Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Dowling v. United States473 U.S. 207Jun 28, 1985 · 473 U.S. 207Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Russell v. United States471 U.S. 858Jun 3, 1985 · 471 U.S. 858Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Russello v. United States464 U.S. 16Nov 1, 1983 · 464 U.S. 16Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. Healy et al.376 U.S. 75Feb 17, 1964 · 376 U.S. 75Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- Lynch v. Overholser, Hospital Superintendent369 U.S. 705May 21, 1962 · 369 U.S. 705Criminal procedure6–18–1 band
- Milanovich et ux. v. United States365 U.S. 551Mar 20, 1961 · 365 U.S. 551Criminal procedure5–45–4 band
- Carroll et al. v. United States354 U.S. 394Jun 24, 1957 · 354 U.S. 394Criminal procedure9–0Unanimous band
- United States v. American Freightways Co.352 U.S. 1020Mar 4, 1957 · 352 U.S. 1020Criminal procedure4–45–4 band
- United States v. Turley352 U.S. 407Feb 25, 1957 · 352 U.S. 407Criminal procedure6–36–3 band
- Tinder v. United States345 U.S. 565May 25, 1953 · 345 U.S. 565Criminal procedure5–36–3 band
- Morissette v. United States342 U.S. 246Jan 7, 1952 · 342 U.S. 246Criminal procedure8–0Unanimous band
Data notes
Every other orally argued case with a clear vote, from the 1946 term on, that the Supreme Court Database files under the same issue as this one. The database gives each case one issue from a list of about 270 (abortion, search and seizure of vehicles, the death penalty, and so on), whatever law it turned on.
Official record
Read the full opinion on Justia, the argument audio on Oyez and Wikipedia. Case data from the Supreme Court Database, Version 2026 Release 01, through the 2025 term.