Supreme Court rules on mandatory sentencing for drug dealers
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Burrage v. US to relax sentencing guidelines for drug dealers. Marcus Burrage was convicted of distribution of heroin causing death under 21 USC § 841 ,...
President Barack Obama on Thursday commuted the sentences of eight inmates currently serving lengthly prison terms for crack cocaine offenses, citing the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA) . The FSA reduced significant disparities...
ACLU: more than 3,200 serving life without parole for nonviolent crimes
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) published a study on Wednesday finding that 3,278 Americans are currently serving life sentences without parole for nonviolent offenses. The study, entitled "A Living Death: Life without...
The US Sentencing Commission (USSC) released new guidelines Tuesday that will reduce the federal minimum sentencing guidelines for those convicted on charges related to crack cocaine. They also published a 645-page report assessing the impact of...
USSC unanimously approves retroactive application of reduced crack sentencing law
The US Sentencing Commission (USSC) voted unanimously on Thursday to implement the retroactive application of the Fair Sentencing Act , which brings the sentences for crack cocaine more in line for those...
Supreme Court rules guilty plea sentence may be reduced if guidelines change
The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 5-4 in Freeman v. United States that an individual whose sentence is imposed under a plea agreement may be eligible...
The US Supreme Court Thursday ruled in DePierre v. United States that the harsher sentences under a federal anti-drug statute for "cocaine base" applied to more than just "crack...
Federal appeals court rules new crack cocaine sentencing guidelines not retroactive
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Thursday rejected a prisoner's attempt to have new crack cocaine sentencing guidelines applied retroactively to reduce his sentence. The three-judge panel found that it could not...
Holder calls for retroactive application of reduced crack sentencing law
US Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday testified before the US Sentencing Commission (USSC) calling for the retroactive application of a new law bringing the sentences for crack cocaine more in line for those...
Julie Stewart : "Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill to reduce the infamous 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses. The Senate approved the bill in March. Today, President Obama...
