Monday, December 10, 2007

Supreme Court Rules Federal Guidelines Not Mandatory

Today the Supreme Court ruled that judges may impose lighter sentences for crack cocain than those recommended by Federal Guidlines.
The crack cocaine decision was one of two today in which the justices, with identical seven-member majorities, reinforced their view that federal sentencing guidelines are advisory rather than mandatory [my emphasis], and that judges may deviate from them so long as their decisions are reasonable.

I never have understood why crack dealers/users are sentenced 100x harder than cocaine dealers/users. Unless it was a way for the man to oppress the little guy. It only takes 5 grams of crack cocaine to warrant the same sentence as someone dealing 500 grams of cocaine. You can find out more about the differences crack cocaine and cocaine at these links.

The ACLU has been calling for an end to the sentencing disparity for several years.

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