Senate hearing on Border Agent prosecutions

As detailed at this official site, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a “Hearing to Examine the Prosecution of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean” for the morning of Tuesday, July 17, 2007.  Notably, Senator Dianne Feinstein is slated to preside. 

As I have explained in many prior posts (some of which are linked below), I think the prosecution and sentencing of these former border agents  spotlight the many flaws with mandatory sentencing provisions and the severe penalties that some defendants receive largely for exercising their right to go to trial rather than pleading guilty.  I am hopeful that these sentencing issues will be a big part of the Senate hearing.

Some prior posts about the Border Agents case:

• The furor over border agents’ long sentences
• Equal justice or just the realities of ratting out?
• Using the border agent case as a catalyst for federal sentencing reform
• Harsh border agent sentences producing half-truths
• A valuable (but disconcerting) perspective on the border case
• Still more buzzing about border agents’ sentences
• Senator Feinstein jumps into border agent case
• Friday forum: rate the injustices
• Interesting federal focal point for pardon/clemency debate
• Giving voice to Virginia Orwig