Bush pardons two turkeys this Thanksgiving.
This judge wishes he'd commute at lease part of the sentence for this defendant. It requires a PDF reader, but you should read the decision. It shows some of the real problems with the federal sentencing guidelines.
FACTS: Defendant dealt marijuana, made three controlled buys of $350 apiece. In some of those he carried, but didn't threaten with or use, a firearm. When they searched his and his girlfriend's residences, there were other firearms found. The effect of the federal sentencing guidelines: to put him away for 55 years or so. First real offense. No discretion. The judge was particularly affronted by the fact that a child rapist or pornographer, or someone who actually shot somebody during a single drug buy, would get a lighter sentence (See Table 1 in the decision).
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