Sentencing Commission Votes to Promulgate Amendments to the Guidelines: On April 10, 2013, the Sentencing Commission voted to promulgate Amendments to the sentencing guidelines. These Amendments will be submitted to Congress by May 1, 2013. Barring congressional action, they will take effect November 1, 2013. For the full text of the Amendments see the Reader-Friendly Version. For an explantion of the changes made by the Amendments read this Summary of 2013 Proposed Amendments to the Sentencing Guidelines by the Sentencing Resource Counsel Project, and the Defender Letter to the Sentencing Commission Commenting on the Commission's Proposed Amendments.

Sentencing Resource Counsel Rebut Commission's Booker Report: In December 2012 the Commission issued its Report on the Continuing Impact of United States v. Booker on Federal Sentencing. In the following articles and fact sheets, Sentencing Resource Counsel have rebutted various claims made in the Commission's Report:

• Fact Sheet: No Evidence that Judicial Discretion Increases Racial Disparity
  
  
• Fact Sheet: Regional Differences in Federal Sentencing
  
  
• Fact Sheet: The 2012 USSC Booker Report Inter-Judge Differences in Federal Sentencing
  
  
• Paul J. Hofer, The Commission Defends an Ailing Hypothesis: Judicial Discretion and Demographic Disparity (forthcoming), 25 Federal Sentencing Reporter (April, 2013)
  
  
• Amy Baron-Evans & Thomas W. Hillier, II, The Commission's Legislative Agenda to Restore Mandatory Guidelines, (forthcoming) 25 Federal Sentencing Reporter (April, 2013)
  
  
• The Commission's Proposals to Restore Mandatory Guidelines Through Appellate Review
  (by Amy Baron-Evans and Jennifer Niles Coffin)
  
  

Defender Recommendations to Sentencing Commission: The Federal Defender community frequently submits written comments to the USSC on a variety of matters, including proposed amendments to the guidelines. These submissions, which may provide ideas for challenging guideline sentences, can be accessed on our Defender Recommendations to Sentencing Commission page.