Monday, January 10, 2022

Justice Sotomayor calls for Sentencing Commission to be formed

 She does so (joined by Justice Barrett) in this statement respecting the denial of certiorari

It is the responsibility of the Sentencing Commission to address this division to ensure fair and uniform application of the Guidelines. Cf. Braxton v. United States, 500 U. S. 344, 348 (1991). In March 2021, I wrote concerning an unresolved Circuit split over the proper interpretation of a Guideline. See Longoria v. United States, 592 U. S. ___. The Sentencing Commission lacked a quorum of voting members then, and it still does today. At this point, the Sentencing Commission has not had a quorum for three full years. As the instant petition illustrates, the resultant unresolved divisions among the Courts of Appeals can have direct and severe consequences for defendants’ sentences. I hope in the near future the Commission will be able to resume its important function in our criminal justice system.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If only we had some judicial entity who could interpret laws when federal bureaucracy commission # 100019991817 is unable to do so.