Fascinating SCOTUS split in rejecting Blakely‘s application to consecutive sentencing

The Supreme Court has today handed down its latest Blakely ruling with its decision in Oregon v. Ice.  Here is the early report from SCOTUSblog:

The Court has released the opinion in Oregon v. Ice(07-901), on whether judges may impose consecutive sentences based onfacts neither found by the jury nor admitted by the defendant. Theruling below, which found for the defendant, is reversed and remanded.Justice Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion. Justice Scalia wrote adissenting opinion, joined by the Chief Justice and Justices Souter andThomas. The ruling is now available here.

The break down of the Justices in the 5-4 ruling is fascinating, and I am sure I will have a lot more to say about the Court’s efforts here in future posts.

I suppose I need to start my commentary, however, by taking back this recent comment that the Supreme Court is most pro-defendant appellate court in the nation on sentencing issues.  But, of course, proving again that Blakely issues make for strange voting block, three supposedly liberal Justices (Breyer, Ginsburg and Stevens) are the key to the defendant’s loss in Ice.