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"Justice Ginsburg's Criminal Justice Legacy: Fair Tribunals, Fair Punishment"

Sentencing Law & Policy - Fri, 06/27/2025 - 09:02
The title of this post is the title of this article now available via SSRN and authored by Guerra Thompson Sandra and Samantha Medlin. Here is its abstract: Scholars have written much about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

Where are concerns for liberty and lenity and broader constitutional values in Hewitt?

Sentencing Law & Policy - Thu, 06/26/2025 - 12:57
Because I believe the Surpeme Court reached the right result in Hewitt this morning when interpretting the reach of a sentencing provision in the First Step Act (basics here), I suppose I should be content. But upon first read, I... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

By 6-3 vote, Supreme Court in Gutierrez that death row defendant has standing to challenge Texas's DNA testing procedures

Sentencing Law & Policy - Thu, 06/26/2025 - 11:16
The Supreme Court this morning handed down a standing ruling in a capital case via Guitierrez v. Saenz, No. 23-7809 (S. Ct. June 26, 2025) (available here). The vote was 6-3, and here are the particulars of the votes of... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Procedure and Proof at Sentencing

By 5-4 vote, Supreme Court in Hewitt allow district court to apply more lenient law at FSA resentencings

Sentencing Law & Policy - Thu, 06/26/2025 - 10:17
The Supreme Court this morning handed down its final big sentencing opinion of the Term with Hewitt v. United States, No. 23-1002 (S. Ct. June 26, 2025) (available here). The vote was 5-4, and here are the particulars of the... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

Mississippi completes execution for murder committed nearly 50 years ago

Sentencing Law & Policy - Wed, 06/25/2025 - 22:05
As reported in this AP piece, the "longest-serving man on Mississippi’s death row was executed Wednesday, nearly five decades after he kidnapped and killed a bank loan officer’s wife in a violent ransom scheme." Here is more: Richard Gerald Jordan,... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms

Is America’s incarceration rate "about to fall off a cliff"?

Sentencing Law & Policy - Wed, 06/25/2025 - 21:50
The question in the title of this post is prompted by this new article by Keith Humphreys in The Atlantic headlined "America’s Incarceration Rate Is About to Fall Off a Cliff." I recommend the article in full because there are... Douglas A. Berman Data on sentencing Scope of Imprisonment

Closings and Delays

Maryland Judiciary - Wed, 06/25/2025 - 20:00

ACLU releases report titled "Fatal Flaws: Revealing the Racial and Religious Gerrymandering of the Capital Jury"

Sentencing Law & Policy - Wed, 06/25/2025 - 11:46
Via email I reveiced news yesterday that the American Civil Liberties Union has released this new report on “death qualification” in capital cases titled "Fatal Flaws: Revealing the Racial and Religious Gerrymandering of the Capital Jury." Here is a portion... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

A brief look behind the Federal Sentencing Reporter thanks to our new publisher

Sentencing Law & Policy - Wed, 06/25/2025 - 11:36
In this post a few months ago, I flagged not only the first issue of Volume 37 of the Federal Sentencing Reporter (titled "Booker at Twenty"), but also that FSR had a shiny new publisher, Duke University Press, as well... Douglas A. Berman Recommended reading Technocorrections

Florida completes its seventh execution in 2025

Sentencing Law & Policy - Tue, 06/24/2025 - 19:06
As reported in this AP article, a "man convicted of raping and killing a woman near a central Florida bar was executed Tuesday evening. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, was pronounced dead at 6:13 p.m. after receiving a lethal injection at... Douglas A. Berman Death Penalty Reforms Who Sentences

Highligthting series of essays about latest USSG amendments from Sentencing Matters Substack

Sentencing Law & Policy - Tue, 06/24/2025 - 10:24
It has been a little while since I highlighted here posts from the Sentencing Matters Substack, though I hope readers are keeping up with (and are subscribed to) the SMS action that usually appears as long-form essays posted at least... Douglas A. Berman Federal Sentencing Guidelines Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Who Sentences

Will federal prohibition on gun possession by unlawful drug users be the next Second Amendment issue taken up by SCOTUS?

Sentencing Law & Policy - Tue, 06/24/2025 - 10:02
The question in the title of this post is prompted by this new Marijuana Moment article headlined "Letting Marijuana Users Have Guns Poses ‘A Clear Danger,’ Trump’s Solicitor General Tells Supreme Court." The article reviews much of the recent lower... Douglas A. Berman Drug Offense Sentencing Gun policy and sentencing Second Amendment issues Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

"Ideological Testing"

Sentencing Law & Policy - Mon, 06/23/2025 - 19:50
The title of this post is the title of this new article now available via SSRN authored by Renagh O'Leary. Here is its abstract: This Article describes and critiques a practice I call the ideological testing of criminal defendants. Ideological... Douglas A. Berman Offender Characteristics Procedure and Proof at Sentencing

Three notable new pieces from The Marshall Project

Sentencing Law & Policy - Mon, 06/23/2025 - 14:35
I likely should make even more of an effort to flag here the always great work done by the folks at The Marshall Project, and three new original pieces prompts me to do this quick round up. All three of... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners Sex Offender Sentencing

SCOTUS grants cert to address whether prisoner can seek money damages under RLUIPA

Sentencing Law & Policy - Mon, 06/23/2025 - 09:51
This morning's Supreme Court orders list is quite short, but it is also sweet for one prisoner who is seeking damages from Louisiana prison official for a violation of his rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners Procedure and Proof at Sentencing

US Sentencing Commission publishes "2025 Amendments in Brief"

Sentencing Law & Policy - Sun, 06/22/2025 - 08:31
The US Sentencing Commission has recently published on this USSC webpage five short new documents as part of its helpful "Amendment in Brief" series. As explained on that page, "'Amendments In Brief' are short summaries, usually one to two pages,... Douglas A. Berman Federal Sentencing Guidelines Who Sentences

"State Constitutional Limits on Nitrogen Hypoxia Executions"

Sentencing Law & Policy - Sun, 06/22/2025 - 08:21
The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by William W. Berry III now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract: In January 2024, the state of Alabama executed Kenneth Smith with nitrogen gas. One... Douglas A. Berman Baze and Glossip cases and execution methods Death Penalty Reforms Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

Checking in with police homicide data in big US cities at start of summer 2025

Sentencing Law & Policy - Sat, 06/21/2025 - 10:42
In this post a couple months ago, I rounded up a lot of encouraging police data on homicide rates through the first quarter of 2025. As summer officially gets started, it seemed a good time to update some of these... Douglas A. Berman

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