Feed aggregator

Another busy day with lots worth reading (and watching), but not lots of time for blogging, means another round-up post. And this one covers lots of different topics: From CBS News, "Man serving 5 life prison sentences walks free after... Douglas A. Berman

As reported in this Bloomberg Law piece, "Elizabeth Holmes lost her last-ditch effort to overturn her 2022 fraud conviction when a federal appeals court on Monday upheld the judgment against the disgraced Theranos Inc founder. A three-judge panel for the... Douglas A. Berman Celebrity sentencings Fines, Restitution and Other Economic Sanctions Procedure and Proof at Sentencing White-collar sentencing Who Sentences

I have blogged recently about on-going challenges and recent transitions at the federal Bureau of Prisons (post here) and also about Prez Trump appointing Alice Marie Johnson (posts here and here). Here is some newer press coverage on these two... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Prisons and prisoners Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

The US Supreme Court is back in action with oral arguments this week after nearly a month off, and today's action starts with this lengthy new order list. Running 58 pages, there are many interesting elements to this order list... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

The title of this post is the title of this new paper now on SSRN authored by Ignacio Cofone and Warut Khern-am-nuai. Here is its abstract: The dominant critique of fairness constraints in AI decision-making, particularly in criminal justice, is... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Technocorrections Who Sentences

Though we are still weeks away from the statrt of spring, enough time has passed in 2025 for me to think it worthwhile to check out the new year's homicide data based on police reporting. Disappointingly, when discussing homicide data,... Douglas A. Berman National and State Crime Data

As reported in this new NPR article, headlined "Justice Department broadens Jan 6 pardons to cover gun, drug-related charges," the Justice Department is now concurring with some defendants claims that Prez Trump's Jan 6 pardons covers more than Jan 6... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

As reported in this Reuters piece, "Donald Trump on Thursday said he had made Alice Johnson, a Tennessee woman who was serving a life sentence for a drug crime before Trump commuted her sentence, a 'pardon czar' to advise him... Douglas A. Berman Clemency and Pardons Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

As first mentioned in this post a few month ago, the editors of the Federal Sentencing Reporter are seeking articles for a new FSR issue on “A Justice System Crossroads: Reflecting on Biden’s Record and Projecting a Second Trump Term.”... Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the title of this new article authored by Sarah Lageson and Alessandro Corda which was recently published in the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology. Here is its abstract: This Article explores criminal record... Douglas A. Berman Procedure and Proof at Sentencing Reentry and community supervision Technocorrections

This new New York Times article, headlined "Trump May Name a Woman He Once Pardoned to Be His ‘Pardon Czar,’" reports on a notable potential development in the federal clemency arena. Here is how the article begins and ends: President... Douglas A. Berman Drug Offense Sentencing Sentences Reconsidered Who Sentences

The Prison Policy Initiative today released this notable new report titled "Cut-rate care: The systemic problems shaping 'healthcare' behind bars." This report's subtitle highlights some of its themes: "In correctional healthcare systems, care is secondary to controlling costs and avoiding... Douglas A. Berman Prisons and prisoners Who Sentences