Supreme Court of the United States · Official docket →
William T. Cooley v. United States
Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, No. 25-0277 · judgment January 6, 2026
(petition-stage, structural)
Well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.
Question presented
Major General William T. Cooley was found guilty of one nonconsensual kiss. For that conviction, he was sentenced to forfeit over $50,000 of his pay. The Government demonstrated no harm to any party to justify such a high fine and no state law equivalent permits a fine of this size. Does General Cooley’s sentence to forfeit over $50,000 of his pay constitute an “excessive fine[] imposed” in violation of the Eighth Amendment?
Counsel of record
For petitioner
Trevor Nicholas Ward
U.S. Air Force Appellate Defense Division
For respondent
D. John Sauer
Solicitor General
Proceedings
- Jul 01 2026DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/28/2026.
- Jun 24 2026Waiver of right of respondent United States to respond filed.
- Jun 04 2026Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 8, 2026)
- Mar 30 2026Application (25A1062) granted by The Chief Justice extending the time to file until June 5, 2026.
- Mar 24 2026Application (25A1062) to extend the time to file a petition for a writ of certiorari from April 6, 2026 to June 5, 2026, submitted to The Chief Justice.