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Should a governor be writing a sentencing judge urging a harsh sentence?

By Douglas A. Berman

The question of this post is prompted by this local article from Pennsylvania, which is headlined "Judge blasts Gov. Rendell's letter about sentencing."  Here are some of the particulars: From the bench Wednesday afternoon, county President Judge William E. Baldwin criticized Gov. Ed Rendell?s recent interjection into the sentencing of Shenandoah-area teens Brandon J. Piekarsky and Derrick M. Donchak. ?I?ve never before heard of a head of state giving a suggested sentence for a specific criminal case. I am not giving consideration to the governor?s recommendation,? Baldwin said, referencing a letter Rendell sent to county District Attorney James P. Goodman on May 28.... In that letter ? the second time the governor has weighed in on last July?s high-profile death of Luis Eduardo Ramirez Zavala, an illegal Mexican immigrant ? Rendell asks for the highest possible sentences for Piekarsky, 17, and Donchak, 19...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on June 20, 2009 (boomark / email).