Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/14pdf/13-7120_p86b.pdf
Page Number: 52.0

Cite as:  576 U. S. ____ (2015) 

15 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

Still worse, the Court holds that vagueness bars the use of 
the residual clause in other cases in which its applicability 
can hardly be questioned.  Attempted rape is an example. 
See, e.g., Dawson v. United States, 702 F. 3d 347, 351–352 
(CA6  2012).  Can  there  be  any  doubt  that  “an  idealized
ordinary  case  of  th[is]  crime”  “involves  conduct  that  pre­
sents  a  serious  potential  risk  of  physical  injury  to  anoth­
er”?  How about attempted arson,3 attempted kidnapping,4 
solicitation to commit aggravated assault,5 possession of a 
loaded weapon with the intent to use it unlawfully against 
another  person,6  possession  of  a  weapon  in  prison,7  or 
compelling a person to act as a prostitute?8  Is there much 
doubt that those offenses “involve conduct that presents a
serious potential risk of physical injury to another”?

Transforming vagueness doctrine, the Court claims that
we  have  never  actually  held  that  a  statue  may  be  voided 
for vagueness only when it is vague in all its applications. 
But  that  is  simply  wrong.    In  Hoffman  Estates,  we  re­
versed a Seventh Circuit decision that voided an ordinance 
prohibiting  the  sale  of  certain  items.  See  455  U. S.,  at 
491.  The  Seventh  Circuit  struck  down  the  ordinance 
because it was “unclear in some of its applications,” but we
reversed and emphasized that a law is void for vagueness
“only  if  [it]  is  impermissibly  vague  in  all  of  its  applica­
tions.”  Id., at 494–495; see also id., at 495, n. 7 (collecting 
cases).  Applying  that  principle,  we  held  that  the  “facial 
—————— 

3 United  States  v.  Rainey,  362  F. 3d  733,  735–736  (CA11)  (per  curi-

am), cert. denied, 541 U. S. 1081 (2004). 

4 United  States  v.  Kaplansky,  42  F. 3d  320,  323–324  (CA6  1994)  (en 

banc). 

5 United States v. Benton, 639 F. 3d 723, 731–732 (CA6), cert. denied, 

565 U. S. ___ (2011). 

6 United  States  v.  Lynch,  518  F. 3d  164,  172–173  (CA2  2008),  cert. 

denied, 555 U. S. 1177 (2009). 

7 United  States  v.  Boyce,  633  F. 3d  708,  711–712  (CA8  2011),  cert. 

denied, 565 U. S. ___ (2012). 

8 United States v. Brown, 273 F. 3d 747, 749–751 (CA7 2001).