UNITED STATES v. RENE SANCHEZ-GOMEZ
Supreme Court of the US, Roberts, May 14, 2018
Criminal Class Action – There is no such thing as a criminal “class action” against the government

Facts:
The US Marshal for the Southern District of California received permission from the judges of that district to use full restraints on all in-custody defendants during non-jury proceedings.
Four of the defendants from that district objected to being transported this way and appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Before the Ninth Circuit ruled on their case, each of them either pled guilty or had their charges dismissed.
The Ninth Circuit did not dismiss the appeal, but rather considered it like a criminal “class action” challenging the policy. The Ninth Circuit held that the restraint policy violated the due-process rights of the defendants.
The Government sought review by the US Supreme Court, arguing that the Ninth Circuit shouldn’t have considered the appeal because the issue was moot.

Held: The Supreme Court held that the case was moot because each case concluded prior to the Ninth Circuit’s opinion. Therefore, the Ninth Circuit should have dismissed the cases.

From the Case: “We have never permitted criminal defendants to band together to seek prospective relief in their individual criminal cases on behalf of a class.”