Statute
First Step Act
574 published works
Sentencing Law and Policy
Split Fourth Circuit panel reverses denial of sentence reduction motion and orders 20-year reduction based on stacked § 924(c)
A helpful reader made sure that I did not miss a notable Fourth Circuit ruling today in US v. Brown, No. 21-7752 (4th Cir. Aug. 16, 2023) (available here). The…
Sentencing Law and Policy
FIRST STEP Act sentence reduction used to address "FBI invented" conspiracy in which feds were "the real lead conspirator"
The FIRST STEP Act's procedural changes to sentencing reduction motions pursuant to 18 USC § 3582(c)(1)(A) continue to provide not only a critical mechanism to address excessive federal prison sentences,…
Criminal
FIRST STEP Act sentence reduction used to address “FBI invented” conspiracy in which feds were “the real lead conspirator”
The FIRST STEP Act's procedural changes to sentencing reduction motions pursuant to 18 USC § 3582(c)(1)(A) continue to provide not only a critical mechanism to address excessive federal prison sentences,…
Sentencing Law and Policy
Debate over FIRST STEP Act safety value expansion — and whether "and" means "or" — now scheduled for first SCOTUS argument for OT23
I have noted in prior posts my excitement for the fascinating little sentencing case on the Supreme Court docket for next Term. As flagged here, the Justices in February granted…
Other
Debate over FIRST STEP Act safety value expansion — and whether “and” means “or” — now scheduled for first SCOTUS argument for OT23
I have noted in prior posts my excitement for the fascinating little sentencing case on the Supreme Court docket for next Term. As flagged here, the Justices in February granted…
Sentencing Law and Policy
"The First Step Act is a conservative, constructive approach to strengthening public safety"
The title of this post is a line from this new Hill commentary authored by Timothy Head and David Safavian. The piece is a response, of sorts, to the various…
Other
“The First Step Act is a conservative, constructive approach to strengthening public safety”
The title of this post is a line from this new Hill commentary authored by Timothy Head and David Safavian. The piece is a response, of sorts, to the various…
Sentencing Law and Policy
Interesting criminal justice news and notes from the GOP campaign trail
I have noted in a few prior posts that Florida Gov Ron DeSantis is criticizing former Prez Donald Trump for his support of FIRST STEP Act. In the last few…
Criminal
Interesting criminal justice news and notes from the GOP campaign trail
I have noted in a few prior posts that Florida Gov Ron DeSantis is criticizing former Prez Donald Trump for his support of FIRST STEP Act. In the last few…
Sentencing Law and Policy
Can and will GOP leaders persistently attack both federal criminal justice and federal criminal justice reform?
Two new headlines this morning focused on two different aspects of federal criminal justice and the activities of former Prez Donald Trump prompt the question in the title of this…