Category Archives: Federal Sentencing

Aug 04 2018

Sentences in Federal Child Pornography Cases on the Rise

Child pornography evokes intense feelings of contempt and bias against those whom such charges are leveled. Illustrative of this contempt is the 50-year prison…

Jan 16 2018

The Continuing Problem in Federal Drug Sentencing

Sentencing in federal drug cases can sometimes pose difficult challenges for the judges imposing sentence. This was illustrated in a December 12, 2017 decision,…

May 30 2017

Judge’s Sentencing Discretion Held in Check

A federal district court judge enjoys broad discretion in determining the criminal sentence to be imposed following conviction. This judicial discretion, however, is limited…

Apr 23 2017

Unfair Federal Sentencing Scheme Causes Judge to Retire

Federal judges retire, not as frequently as other government and private sector employees but eventually they do leave the bench, one way or the…

Nov 21 2016

Federal Criminal Trials: A Vanishing Species?

Attorneys who regularly represent clients in federal court understand one disturbing trend—U.S. attorneys are doggedly trying to force criminal trials to a point of…

Nov 21 2016

Federal Prosecutors Breach Plea Agreement, Appellate Court Vacates Sentence

A federal plea agreement is a binding contract between the U.S. Government and a criminal defendant. It is sometimes proffered but more often than…

Jul 13 2016

Sentence for Distribution of Child Porn Vacated by Fifth Circuit

LimeWire is a file-sharing program that uses “peer-to-peer” (P2P) technology. LimeWire allows its users to share digital files through an Internet-based network called the…