Spears v. United States
United States Supreme Court
555 U.S. 261 (2009)
Relevant factsFree
The district judge, disagreeing with the Sentencing Guidelines' 100:1 crack-to-powder cocaine ratio as disproportionately harsh even in routine cases, substituted the Sentencing Commission's own recommended 20:1 ratio when sentencing Spears (defendant), lowering his sentence from the guideline range; the Eighth Circuit twice rejected this substitution as improper.
IssueFree
Whether, in some cases, a judge may base his variance from a federal sentencing guideline on a disagreement with the guideline's underlying policy.