StudyBuddy Pro
  • Law Study Aids
    • Case Briefs
    • Lessons
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
      • 2L/3L
        • Business Organizations & Associations
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence
        • Family Law
        • Secured Transactions
        • Wills, Trusts & Estates
    • Outlines
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
      • 2L/3L
        • Agency
        • Business Organizations & Associations
        • Conflicts of Law
        • Corporations
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence
        • Family Law
        • Intellectual Property
        • Partnerships
        • Secured Transactions
      • Exam Prep Checklists
        • Access 1L Checklists
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • Access 2L/3L Checklists
          • Agency
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Corporations/Business Entities
          • Evidence
          • Family Law
          • Partnership
          • Trusts
          • U.C.C. ART. 9
          • Wills
    • Refresher Courses
      • 1L
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts Law
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts Law
      • 2L/3L
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence Law
    • Exam Prep Pro
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
      • 2L/3L
        • Business Organizations & Associations
        • Conflicts of Law
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence
        • Family Law
        • Secured Transactions
        • Wills, Trusts & Estates
    • Multiple Choice Quizzes
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
      • 2L/3L
        • Business Organizations & Associations
        • Conflicts of Law
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence
        • Family Law
        • Secured Transactions
        • Wills, Trusts & Estates
    • Exam Prep Workshops
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
    • Charts and Notes
      • 1L
        • Civil Procedure
        • Constitutional Law
        • Contracts
        • Criminal Law
        • Property Law
        • Torts
      • 2L/3L
        • Criminal Procedure
        • Evidence
  • Courses
    • 1L Prep Course
  • Solutions
    • Professors and Institutions
    Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors
    Advanced Search | Notes Search
    Start My FREE 7-DAY Trial
    Log In
    StuddyBuddy Pro
    Apple
    Facebook
    Google

    Forgot Password?

    Forgot Password?

    Forgotten Password

    Cancel

    Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors

    • Law Study Aids
      • Case Briefs
      • Lessons
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • 2L/3L
          • Business Organizations & Associations
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence
          • Family Law
          • Secured Transactions
          • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Outlines
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • 2L/3L
          • Agency
          • Business Organizations & Associations
          • Conflicts of Law
          • Corporations
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence
          • Family Law
          • Intellectual Property
          • Partnerships
          • Secured Transactions
        • Exam Prep Checklists
          • Access 1L Checklists
            • Civil Procedure
            • Constitutional Law
            • Contracts
            • Criminal Law
            • Property Law
            • Torts
          • Access 2L/3L Checklists
            • Agency
            • Criminal Procedure
            • Corporations/Business Entities
            • Evidence
            • Family Law
            • Partnership
            • Trusts
            • U.C.C. ART. 9
            • Wills
      • Refresher Courses
        • 1L
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts Law
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts Law
        • 2L/3L
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence Law
      • Exam Prep Pro
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • 2L/3L
          • Business Organizations & Associations
          • Conflicts of Law
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence
          • Family Law
          • Secured Transactions
          • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Multiple Choice Quizzes
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • 2L/3L
          • Business Organizations & Associations
          • Conflicts of Law
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence
          • Family Law
          • Secured Transactions
          • Wills, Trusts & Estates
      • Exam Prep Workshops
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
      • Charts and Notes
        • 1L
          • Civil Procedure
          • Constitutional Law
          • Contracts
          • Criminal Law
          • Property Law
          • Torts
        • 2L/3L
          • Criminal Procedure
          • Evidence
    • Courses
      • 1L Prep Course
    • Solutions
      • Professors and Institutions
    Start My FREE 7-DAY Trial
    Log In Sign up
    StuddyBuddy Pro
    Apple
    Facebook
    Google

    Forgot Password?

    Forgot Password?

    Forgotten Password

    Cancel
    A.I Enhanced Margin Brief to quickly recall case brief A.I Enhanced Margin Brief to quickly recall case brief 0
    To print, please Start a Free Trial or Log in.

    Confirm favorite deletion?

    Cancel Yes, Delete

    Criminal Law Keyed to LaFave

    View this case in different Casebooks
    Criminal Law Keyed to DresslerCriminal Law Keyed to KadishCriminal Law Keyed to LeeCriminal Law Keyed to OhlinCriminal Law Keyed to KennedyCriminal Law keyed to DrippsCriminal Law Keyed to Capers

    People v. Marrero

    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.

    Facts

    Appellant, a Federal corrections officer was arrested in Manhattan, New York for carrying a gun. The statute in question exempted “peace officers” from the prohibition against carrying firearms. Another statute defined peace officers as correction officers of any state correctional facility or of any penal correctional facility. The trial court dismissed the charge. The Appellate Court reversed and thereafter Appellant was convicted when the judge refused to instruct that Appellant’s reasonable belief that he fell within the statutory definition would be a defense.

    Only StudyBuddy Pro offers the complete Case Brief Anatomy*

    Access the most important case brief elements for optimal case understanding.

    *Case Brief Anatomy includes: Brief Prologue, Complete Case Brief, Brief Epilogue

    • The Brief Prologue provides necessary case brief introductory information and includes:
    • Topic:

      Identifies the topic of law and where this case fits within your course outline.
    • Parties:

      Identifies the cast of characters involved in the case.
    • Procedural Posture & History:

      Shares the case history with how lower courts have ruled on the matter.
    • Case Key Terms, Acts, Doctrines, etc.:

      A case specific Legal Term Dictionary.
    • Case Doctrines, Acts, Statutes, Amendments and Treatises:

      Identifies and Defines Legal Authority used in this case.
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.
    • The Case Brief is the complete case summarized and authored in the traditional Law School I.R.A.C. format. The Pro case brief includes:
    • Brief Facts:

      A Synopsis of the Facts of the case.
    • Rule of Law:

      Identifies the Legal Principle the Court used in deciding the case.
    • Facts:

      What are the factual circumstances that gave rise to the civil or criminal case? What is the relationship of the Parties that are involved in the case.
    • Issue(s):

      Lists the Questions of Law that are raised by the Facts of the case.
    • Holding:

      Shares the Court's answer to the legal questions raised in the issue.
    • Concurring / Dissenting Opinions:

      Includes valuable concurring or dissenting opinions and their key points.
    • Reasoning and Analysis:

      Identifies the chain of argument(s) which led the judges to rule as they did.
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.
    • The Brief Prologue closes the case brief with important forward-looking discussion and includes:
    • Policy:

      Identifies the Policy if any that has been established by the case.
    • Court Direction:

      Shares where the Court went from here for this case.
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.

    Case Quiz

    Retake Attempts
    Question 1 of 3

    Results

    0 of 3 Questions answered correctly.

    Results

    Quiz complete. Results are being recorded.
    Q.1 - Which jurisprudential justification most accurately explains the Marrero majority’s categorical rejection of personal statutory misinterpretation as a valid mistake of law defense?
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.
    Correct! The majority emphasized institutional legitimacy and the need to maintain a centralized, authoritative source of legal meaning. Permitting personal interpretations would decentralize the legal system and threaten legislative supremacy.
    Incorrect. The majority rejected subjective reasonableness unless tied to an official statement.
    Incorrect. Peer or supervisory advice is insufficient under New York’s Penal Law § 15.20.
    Incorrect. The majority did not rely on selective enforcement or equitable discretion.
    Q.2 - Justice Hancock Jr.'s dissent in Marrero is best understood as an objection to the majority's indifference toward which foundational principle of fair notice in criminal law?
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.
    Incorrect. While relevant, the dissent focused on more than opportunity to conform—it emphasized interpretive plausibility.
    Correct! Justice Hancock Jr. argued that a reasonable interpretation of ambiguous statutory text—especially by someone in good faith—should shield a defendant from liability. His focus was on preserving fair notice and avoiding punishment for moral innocence.
    Incorrect. The rule of lenity was not the dissent’s main argument.
    Incorrect. The dissent focused on legal, not moral, error.
    Q.3 - Assuming Marrero's holding were extended to a case involving a defendant’s reliance on a published but non-binding agency interpretation of federal law, what would be the most doctrinally consistent outcome?
    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.
    Incorrect. Too rigid; it overlooks agency practices upheld under certain federal doctrines.
    Incorrect. The court in Marrero would not consider non-binding advice sufficient.
    Correct! The majority in Marrero insisted that only reliance on official, binding interpretations could excuse criminal liability, meaning non-binding agency interpretations would not suffice—even if published—unless the law explicitly permits such reliance.
    Incorrect. Long-standing agency custom is not controlling without formal authority.

    MarginBrief™ Case overview for optimal recall

    A.I Enhanced Margin Brief to quickly recall case brief
    A.I Enhanced Margin Brief to quickly recall case brief

    Generating...

    Facts:

    Quickly review the Facts of this case including its key ideas for optimal understanding and recall.

    Quickly review the Facts of this case including its key ideas for optimal understanding and recall.

    Issue:

    Utilize our powerful A.I. tools to easily capture and understand the Issue in this case.

    Utilize our powerful A.I. tools to easily capture and understand the Issue in this case.

    Rule:

    Easily understand the Rule in this case so you have a complete and thorough appreciation for overall case concepts completely tying together what occurred, the court’s questions and the case outcome.

    Easily understand the Rule in this case so you have a complete and thorough appreciation for overall case concepts completely tying together what occurred, the court’s questions and the case outcome.

    Start Your Free Trial or Log in.

    Topic Resources

    ™ CaseCast

    Scott Caron

    ProfessorScott Caron

    CaseCast™ "What you need to know"

    CaseCast™ –  "What you need to know"

    play_circle_filled
    pause_circle_filled
    People v. Marrero
    volume_down
    volume_up
    volume_off
    To continue listening to this CaseCast™ please Subscribe

    Topic Video

    People v. Marrero7m 21s
    See complete Lesson, Quizzes and More

    Status:

    Your Law School
    Success Begins Here

    • Case Briefs - the Socratic Savior! – Best in class and Largest Library of complete I.R.A.C. / C.R.E.A.C. Law School case briefs. Includes:
      • SmartBriefs® - Enhanced case briefs for optimal clarity
      • New Case Videos - Explained and Summarized for optimal case understanding
      • CaseCast® - Professor overviews of "What you need to know"
      • New MarginBrief® - A.I. - Powered for faster, more efficient case recall
    • Lessons - Professor delivered video for topic reinforcement
    • Outlines - Professor written - downloadable, amendable and includes test-taking tips and tools
    • New Case Quiz - Reinforce case principles, instantly scored
    • Refresher Courses - Quick course reviews with interactive exercises
    • Quizzes and Exams - over 5,000 Multiple Choice and Essay questions all Professor curated and answered
    • New My Reviewer™ - Instantly receive a Score, Critique and Feedback on your legal writing
    • Exam Prep Workshops - Delivered by Professors on how to disect, organize and answer law school exam questions
    • and so much more ...
    Start your FREE Trial

    Notepad Click anywhere in notepad to add a note

    People v. Marrero