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The U.S. Sentencing Commission has issued a “Retroactivity Data Report,” reflecting the data showing how many inmates have had their sentences reduced under the First Step Act’s retroactive sentencing provisions for crack-cocaine offenders. The data includes a break down by criminal history category, whether the offender had a firearm, and the average reduction.

The Biden administration announced the nominations of six more federal judges. The nominations are for the 1st, 2nd, and 10th appellate circuits as well as the three district courts. President Biden has nominated 19 judges, and none of yet been confirmed.

Since our last update, the harshest sentence for a January 6 defendant to date was imposed earlier this month, when U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta sentenced a former New York police officer to 120 months in federal prison for his role in the Capitol Riots. Defendant Thomas Webster was convicted after a trial in which the government presented evidence that he had attacked police officers at the Capitol with a metal flagpole and tried to rip off an officer’s gas mask. The jury rejected Webster’s self defense argument and returned a guilty verdict after two hours of deliberation.

Prior to Webster’s 10-year sentence, the longest sentences so far had been imposed on Defendants Guy Refitt, a militia member, and Thomas Robertson, another former police officer. Both men were convicted after jury trials for attempting to obstruct congressional proceedings. Both were sentenced to 87 months in prison.

The DOJ recently issued a memorandum to BOP facilities expanding the number of inmates who are eligible for release to home confinement under the CARES Act. While neither the BOP nor the DOJ have published the memo yet, Keri Blakinger of the Marshall Project has obtained a copy of the memo and confirmed its authenticity with the BOP. Among other things, the new criteria allows more inmates with low-level disciplinary issues or Low PATTERN scores to obtain release to home confinement.

The DEA has released its “National Drug Threat Assessment” for the Year 2020. The report contains an exhaustive review of topics such as the different sources for different drugs imported into the U.S., the price and purity levels of several controlled substances, data regarding where most drugs are trafficked or seized, consumption patterns, and other information that can be helpful to defense attorneys in drug cases.

BOP Director Michael Carvajal testified before the Senate on April 15, 2021. He testified that the BOP does not currently have any immediate plans to send inmates back to prison who are currently on home confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The director also testified, however, that Congress needs to pass a law to ensure inmates are not send back when the COVID-19 emergency order is lifted.

Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke about the rise of gun-related deaths in the U.S. and the federal government’s strategy to reduce them. His remarks suggest that criminal prosecutions will play a central part to that strategy. The AG’s remarks about keeping guns “out of the hands of criminals” suggest an increase in […]

This month, a group of current and former prosecutors and law enforcement officials issued a “Joint Statement on Sentencing Chances and Addressing Past Extreme Sentences.” The group is calling for reforms including the expansion of compassionate release, new agencies or units to review long sentences, and prospective limits on prosecutors’ ability to charge individuals for offenses that carry especially long mandatory minimums.

The Department of Justice recently announced that it has charged 474 defendants with fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program. The DOJ reports that the cases combined involve over $569 million in potential loss amounts, and that they have been brought in 56 federal districts.

As reported by Politico, the Biden administration has released a list of 11 candidates for the federal judiciary, including picks for three circuit court vacancies, seven district court vacancies, and an administrative vacancy. The most high profile pick is Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson of the D.C. District Court, who has now been nominated to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.