Always remember to show your work
This afternoon, a memorandum, signed by Ricardo H. Hinojosa, Chair of the US Sentencing Commission, and Sim Lake, Chair of Criminal Law Committee of the Judicial Conference, was sent to all District Judges and other key court personnel concerning “Documentation Required to be Sent to the Sentencing Commission.” The two-page memo, which can be downloaded here, “reiterates and emphasizes the importance of continuing to submit sentencing documents to the Sentencing Commission in accordance with the requirements of 28 USC § 994(w).” Here’s the memo: Download ussc_documentation_request.pdf
The USSC memo sends a strong and critical message about documenting post-Booker sentencing decisions. It stresses that it is “particularly important that judges continue to comply with the requirements of 28 U.S.C. § 3553(c) by providing a complete statement of reasons for imposing the sentence” and notes that “documentation will be useful to the Judiciary, the Commission, and the Congress as we strive to continue to carry out the goals” of sentencing reform.
In a related vein, the blog Ex Post is doing a stunning job live-blogging the work at the on-going Columbia Law School conference on state sentencing. Already posted are wonderful accounts of Friday’s two panels (here and here) and two lectures (here and here), and I also see two potent pre-conference about Booker (here and here). And, the Blakely Blog now also has extended posts covering Friday’s two panels (here and here). All great reading.
Also, while we are in a documentation mode, let me spotlight just a few of my major Booker commentary posts of note in recent days: