It is rare indeed, especially in these politically polarized times, for the U.S. Supreme Court to decide a case unanimously — especially when overturning a seemingly important criminal conviction. It’s even more surprising when the conviction in question relates to opioids, given the profoundly negative profile they own in America.
Yet this is what occurred with Ruan v. United States, which the court decided on June 27. Two physicians, in unrelated cases, dispensed controlled substances. Their separate juries, the justices said, were improperly instructed about the mens rea (or, knowledge of wrongdoing) requirement for a criminal conviction; the convictions were overturned.
