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A "very interesting"(?) sentencing appeal in the Seventh Circuit

By Douglas A. Berman

I tend to find most sentencing issues that produce published opinion to be at least somewhat interesting.  But this first paragraph of the panel opinion in US v. Christiansen, No. 09-1925 (7th Cir. Feb. 2, 2010) (available here), suggests that the case is much more than just "interesting": Most sentencing appeals involve long (or at least medium length) prison terms. So, an appeal like the one in this case, involving a short four-month sentence, is fairly uncommon.  And although the four-month sentence was imposed after the district court determined that the advisory guideline range was four to ten months based on two enhancements that are now challenged on appeal, the sentence could have easily still been a four-month term (the range would have been zero to six months) without the two challenged add-ons...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 02, 2010 (boomark / email).