United States v. R.L.C.
Citation
503 U.S. 291 (1992)
Facts
Stub — to be completed.
Issue
Stub — to be completed.
Holding
Stub — to be completed.
Rule
The rule of lenity applies where a penal statute is genuinely ambiguous; where two plausible interpretations of a statute affecting criminal punishment exist, the court adopts the less harsh interpretation. (Plurality: rule of lenity is a “last resort” after exhausting other interpretive tools.)
Significance
Illustrates debate over the scope and timing of the rule of lenity; plurality would apply lenity only after all other interpretive tools are exhausted, while other Justices would apply it at the first sign of ambiguity.