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"Is Kent getting off easy?"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is the title of this piece in today's Houston Chronicle.  As highlighted in this post on the Kent case yesterday, I think the answer to this question is a tentative "yes" right now.  Here is how the Chronicle talks through the sentencing issues: [Y]et to be seen is whether Kent will spend one night in prison for his crime. He faces 20 years, and prosecutors have requested three, but Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson, visiting from Florida, has discretion. Vinson?s track record in the case suggests Kent may rest easy in the punishment phase. After all, Vinson has been so concerned with protecting Kent from the powerful forces of media influence that he instated his own, unsolicited, gag order. Vinson continued enforcing the protective cloak of secrecy Monday even after the potential of jury taint was gone...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 24, 2009 (boomark / email).