June 1, 2011
The U.S. Sentencing Commission will hold a hearing on June 1 to consider whether and how to make lower crack guidelines retroactive. Julie Stewart, President of FAMM, and FAMM member Natasha Darrington will testify.
If you're coming to D.C.
We are so glad that you are joining us on June 1 for the U.S. Sentencing Commission hearing! In advance of the hearing we want to provide you with some more details as well as an opportunity to meet with your members of Congress. FAMM president and founder Julie Stewart and FAMM member Natasha Darrington will testify at the hearing at 2:15.
Click here for the full schedule.
The hearing will be held from 8:45am to 3:00pm on the
ground floor of the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus
Circle, N.E., Washington, D.C., right next to Union Station and about five
blocks north of the Capitol.
Click here for
a map.
FAMM will have
someone stationed by the entrance of the hearing throughout the day if you have
any questions. You
will be able to identify us by looking for a large FAMM nametag. Please stop by
and say hi!
We invite you to
participate in FAMM’s “Why I Care” online video project. “Why I Care” will show the strength of the
sentencing reform movement by showcasing the diverse voices of individuals and
families impacted by unjust sentencing laws. See inside your FAMM hearing packet for more information.
You
can leave and re-enter the hearing room as needed but there is no talking while
inside the hearing.
8:30
am
Check-in with FAMM rep for nametags, maps, orientation.
8:45
am – 3 pm
Sentencing Commission hearing
10:15
am
45-minute advocacy training.
(Room G-425, Marshall Building)
10:45-1:30
Congressional
meetings, hearing panels
11:15
am – 1 pm “
Why I Care” video project
recordings (Room G-425, Marshall Building)
2:15
pm
Hearing Panel with FAMM
President Julie Stewart
3:30
– 4:30pm
Wrap-up and debrief at Thunder
Grill (50 Massachusetts Ave NE)
Sentencing Commission
Hearing Schedule
Opening Remarks (8:30 a.m.)
Panel I. Executive Branch Panel (8:30 a.m.
- 9:15 a.m.)
TBA
Panel II. Practitioners Panel (9:15 a.m. -
10:15 a.m.)
Michael S. Nachmanoff
Federal Public Defender
Eastern District of Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
David Debold
Practitioners Advisory Group
Gibson Dunn
Washington, DC
James Felman
Co-Chairman of the Sentencing Subcommittee
Criminal Justice Section
American Bar Association
Tampa, Florida
Jim E. Lavine
President
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Houston, TX
Break (10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.)
Panel III. Law Enforcement Experts Panel
(10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.)
Asa Hutchinson
Senior Partner
Asa Hutchinson Law Group
Rogers, Arkansas
David Hiller
National Vice President
Fraternal Order of Police
Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan
Christopher D. Chiles
Chairman of the Board
National District Attorneys Association
Huntington, West Virginia
Panel IV. Judicial Branch Panel (11:15 a.m.
- 11:45 a.m.)
Honorable Reggie Walton
Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference
United States District Judge
Washington, DC
Panel V. Academics Panel (11:45 a.m. - 12:30
p.m.)
Steven L. Chanenson
Associate Dean for Faculty Research
Professor of Law
Villanova University School of Law
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Michael M. O'Hear
Associate Dean for Research
Professor of Law
Marquette University Law School
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Break (12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.)
Panel VI. Community Interest Panel (1:30 p.m.
- 2:15 p.m.)
Marc Mauer
Executive Director
The Sentencing Project
Washington, DC
Hilary O. Shelton
Washington Bureau Director &
Senior Vice President for Advocacy
NAACP
Washington, DC
Jesselyn McCurdy
Senior Legislative Counsel
ACLU
Washington, DC
Pat Nolan
Prison Fellowship
Washington, DC
Panel VII. Community Interest Panel (2:15
p.m. - 3:00 p.m.)
Julie Stewart and Natasha Darrington
Families Against Mandatory Minimums
Washington, DC
Nkechi Taifa
Senior Policy Analyst for Civil and Criminal Justice Reform
Open Society Institute
Washington, DC
Jasmine L. Tyler
Deputy Director of National Affairs
Drug Policy Alliance
Washington, DC
Parking and places to eat
If you are driving,
Union Station will be the easiest place to park. Parking is not cheap. It costs: 1st hr $6.00; 2 hrs $9.00; 3 hrs $12.00; 3-4 hrs $13.00; 4-5 hrs $15.00; 5-12 hrs $17.00; 12-24 hrs $19.00; 24 hr periods $19.00.
Once you arrive, you can grab breakfast at Union Station (quick serve dining locations
on this list include Au Bon Pain, Corner Bakery and McDonald’s, or at one of the neighboring restaurants.
The Thurgood Marshall Building is next to Union Station and is very distinctive. It has a large glass front with an atrium inside. To enter you must go through a metal detector. To enter the Commission hearing you will be required to show a photo ID to a guard at a security desk. Anyone can attend a public hearing.
Breakfast and lunch are on your own, though there are a number of places near the U.S. Sentencing Commission, including:
Look for other FAMM members to enjoy lunch with. It is a great opportunity to get to know others fighting for the same cause!
Please email
apage@famm.org if you have any questions.