12/14/07
Sentencing reform successes
What a week for Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)! Hopefully you've been able to follow our multiple sentencing reform successes, but just in case you missed any of the headlines, below is a quick overview of the exciting events of the past few days.
- On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled in our favor on two different sentencing reform cases, Kimbrough v. United States and Gall v. United States. Both of these decisions clarify the "reasonableness" standard of sentencing guideline appeals, ultimately increasing the discretion given to lower courts at sentencing.
- On Tuesday, the U.S. Sentencing Commission voted in favor of making the crack cocaine amendment retroactive. As a result, 19,500 federal prisoners are eligible to apply for a sentence reduction.
- Also on Tuesday, President Bush commuted the sentence of a FAMM member, Michael Short, who is serving a federal sentence of almost 20 years for a crack offense.
As you know, FAMM has been intimately involved in pushing for each of these victories and we've been inundated with media as a result. Julie Stewart, FAMM's president, was on the Diane Rehm show on NPR. Listen to the show now. And FAMM's vice president and general counsel, Mary Price, was a guest on NPR's All Things Considered on Thursday. Listen to the segment.
FAMM has also been mentioned and quoted in various major newspapers around the country. Click here to read an article about Julie Stewart in The Washington Post.
As always, we couldn't do any of this without your support. Take advantage of the last two weeks of the year and make a tax-deductible donation to FAMM to help us maximize this week's momentum in sentencing reform. Thank you so much for your commitment to sentencing justice.
Wishing you the best possible holiday season.