 In a 7–1 decision authored by Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, the Court ruled that "Johnson" announced a substantive rule change and was thus retroactive.The decision also held that the lower courts had erred in denying a certificate of appealability, as reasonable jurists could disagree on the outcome given the decision in "Johnson".The lone dissenter was Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote that the majority has undermined "any principled limitation on the finality of federal convictions".