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Page Number: 4

2 

JOHNSON v. UNITED STATES 

Opinion of the Court 

felony” as follows: 

“any crime punishable by imprisonment for a term ex­
ceeding one year . . . that—

“(i)  has  as  an  element  the  use,  attempted  use,  or 
threatened use of physical force against the person of
another; or 

“(ii)  is  burglary,  arson,  or  extortion,  involves use  of
explosives, or otherwise involves conduct that presents 
a  serious  potential  risk  of  physical  injury  to  another.” 
§924(e)(2)(B) (emphasis added). 

The closing words of this definition, italicized above, have 
come to be known as the Act’s residual clause.  Since 2007, 
this Court has decided four cases attempting to discern its
meaning.  We have held that the residual clause (1) covers 
Florida’s  offense  of  attempted  burglary,  James  v.  United 
States, 550 U. S. 192 (2007); (2) does not cover New Mexi­
co’s offense of driving under the influence, Begay v. United 
States,  553  U. S.  137  (2008);  (3)  does  not  cover  Illinois’ 
offense  of  failure  to  report  to  a  penal  institution,  Cham-
bers  v.  United  States,  555  U. S.  122  (2009);  and  (4)  does 
cover  Indiana’s  offense  of  vehicular  flight  from  a  law-
enforcement  officer,  Sykes  v.  United  States,  564  U. S.  1 
(2011).  In both James and Sykes, the Court rejected sug­
gestions  by  dissenting  Justices  that  the  residual  clause
violates  the  Constitution’s  prohibition  of  vague  criminal
laws.  Compare James, 550 U. S., at 210, n. 6, with id., at 
230  (SCALIA,  J.,  dissenting);  compare  Sykes,  564  U. S.,  at 
___ (slip op., at 13–14), with id., at ___ (SCALIA, J., dissent­
ing) (slip op., at 6–8).

This case involves the application of the residual clause
to  another  crime,  Minnesota’s  offense  of  unlawful  posses­
sion of a short-barreled shotgun.  Petitioner Samuel John­
son  is  a  felon  with  a  long  criminal  record.    In  2010,  the 
Federal  Bureau  of  Investigation  began  to  monitor  him
because of his involvement in a white-supremacist organi­