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What should be the US Sentencing Commission's priorities these days?

By Douglas A. Berman

Remarkably, we are rapidly approaching the five-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to make the federal sentencing guidelines advisory in Booker. Much can be said about what Booker has changed, but what Booker clearly has not changed in the central importance of the work of the US Sentencing Commission to the operation and outcomes of the federal sentencing system. As detailed in this official notice, this coming Monday afternoon the USSC has a public meeting scheduled at which it will be formally setting its priorities for the 2009-2010 amendment cycle. As noted in this post from June, the USSC set out here a very ambitious set of proposed priorities for this amendment cycle.  Though I am very pleased that the USSC has in mind a robust agenda, I wonder and worry if it risks bitting off more than it can effectively chew, especially since it is still awaiting the Senate confirmation of the new chair and new commissioner nominated by President Obama...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 28, 2009 (boomark / email).