Federal Sentencing Procedure

As part of a child protection bill, Congress passed the Feeney Amendment, which restricted the ability of federal judges to grant sentences … read more

As part of a child protection bill, Congress passed the Feeney Amendment, which restricted the ability of federal judges to grant sentences that were less than the mandated minimum. It also required prosecutors to track the judges who ‘downward departed’ from the guidelines and report them to the Attorney General.

Judges who wanted the law repealed said it encroached on judicial independence. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy spoke out against it at the ABA National Convention last summer, as did Chief Justice William Rehnquist in his annual year-end report released December 31. The Judicial Conference of the United States, which serves as the principal policy-making arm of the administration of the U.S. courts, also opposed the law.

Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) opposed legislation, known as the “Judges Act,” and proposed to repeal it.

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Federal Sentencing Procedure

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Program ID:
181249-1
Category:
Public Affairs Event
Format:
Forum
Location:
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
First Aired:
Apr 03, 2004 | 6:59pm EST | C-SPAN 1
Last Aired:
Apr 04, 2004 | 3:01am EDT | C-SPAN 1

Airing Details

  • Apr 03, 2004 | 6:59pm EST | C-SPAN 1
  • Apr 04, 2004 | 3:01am EDT | C-SPAN 1
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Federal Sentencing Procedure

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