--- title: "Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas" citation: "Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas, 489 U.S. 538 (1989)" authority_id: "AUTH-SCOTUS-BLANTON-489-US-538" authority_type: "case" jurisdiction: "federal_nationwide" precedential_status: "binding" official_url: "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-489/pdf/USREPORTS-489-538.pdf" url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-SCOTUS-BLANTON-489-US-538/" legal_review: "2026-08-25" links_checked: "2026-10-15" links_available: 1 links_checked_count: 1 license: "CC BY 4.0" --- # Blanton v. City of North Las Vegas ## Holding used An offense carrying no more than six months' imprisonment is presumptively petty unless severe additional statutory penalties clearly show a legislative judgment that it is serious. ## Material limitation Only authorized statutory penalties are assessed; collateral consequences and case-specific exposure must not be assumed to overcome the presumption. ## Official source and pinpoints 489 U.S. 538, 541–43 (1989): ## Used in - [Federal Jury and Bench Trial](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/30-plea-and-trial/jury-and-bench-trial.md)