So much for a within-guideline sentence being unreasonable in the Eighth Circuit

The Eighth Circuit on Friday issued a number of published sentencing decisions ruling against defendants.  This common reality is itself not newsworthy, but it is notable that one opinion, US v. Goodwin, No. 06-2502 (8th Cir. May 25, 2007) (available here), now affirms the within-guideline sentence of the only defendant that had ever previously had her within-guideline sentence reversed as substantively unreasonable. 

Upon remand in Goodwin, the district judge explained more fully the reasons for giving defendant Goodwin a within-guideline sentence, and now the Eighth Circuit affirms that sentence.  The term Pyrrhic victory comes to mind.