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"Supreme Court decision on sentencing guidelines gives judges more leeway"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the headline of this new Washington Post article.  Here are excerpts: This month, Pepper won his case in a victory that gives federal judges more leeway to provide second chances to the criminals who come before them.  The ruling will clarify the rules that guide judges as they try to set sentences that both comport with national norms and ensure justice is done in individual cases. But Pepper v. United States also is a reminder of the real people behind the court?s cases.  It comes with a story that might make even the most objective balls-and-strikes umpire on the mahogany bench feel a tinge of (can it be said?) empathy.

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on March 14, 2011 (boomark / email).