U.S. Sentencing Commission Restricts Federal Judges’ Ability To Use Acquitted Conduct at Sentencing

Federal judges will be limited from enhancing defendants’ sentences based on conduct a jury acquitted them of, a practice that has drawn condemnation from a wide range of civil liberties groups, lawmakers, and jurists. The U.S. Sentencing Commission, a bipartisan panel that creates guidelines for the federal judiciary, voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt an amendment […]