The Process is the Punishment: Hannah Dugan Sentencing Post-Mortem
The Fate of John Bolton: Trump Doesn’t Just Pick Who’s Prosecuted — Now He Picks Your Prison, Too
Ambassador John Bolton pled guilty last week to mishandling classified information, and the plea includes a stipulation that if he receives prison, the term is no more than five years. On paper, this agreement reads like a win. But the plea isn’t the paper that matters most, because the same week Bolton signed his plea,…
Anchor’s Aweigh: New Policies and New Proposed Guidelines Find Us Unmoored in 2025
I call this episode “Anchor’s Aweigh” for two reasons. First, there is a potential seismic shift in federal sentencing coming, which would go far to eliminate what we call the dreaded “anchoring effect” of the draconian and deeply dysfunctional sentencing guidelines. If this passes, it will likely be the biggest change in guideline sentencing since Booker was…
Pre-Sentence Reports
The pre-sentence report is arguably the most crucial sentencing document. Not only does it serve as a vital tool for judges during sentencing, but it also acts as the “bible” that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) relies on to make critical decisions about our clients. Unfortunately, many lawyers struggle to properly prepare their clients or…