USSC unanimously votes to make new crack guidelines retroactive…

Though I am relying here on second-hand reports, I have now on pretty good authority from two sources that the US Sentencing Commission today voted to make its new crack guidelines retroactive.  Here’s what I received from one of these reputable sources:

The vote is yes — they have made the amendment retroactive effective March 3, 2008.

They also promulgated an application note intended to restrict resentencings exclusively to the issue of the two-level reduction. It makes public safety a central concern for courts to evaluate when reconsider these sentences.

Assuming this report is accurate, this strikes me as another example of the Commission’s commitment to justice being effectively implemented with political savvy.  It also makes me wonder whether Senator Hillary Clinton or anyone else who has come out against retroactivity might try to get Congress to overturn this decision before it will become effective in three months.

UPDATE:  FAMM has this press release discussing the decision on its website.