Supreme Court Agrees To Hear Federal Sentencing Case

Last Monday, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the application of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.  The case involves an inmate out of Pennsylvania, Percy Dillon.  He was originally sentenced to 322 months in prison on crack drug charges and firearm charges.  After the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that the Federal Sentencing Guidelines should be advisory rather than mandatory, he was re sentenced to 270 months in prison.  However, reviewing courts did not use the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as advisory, which would have lowered Dillon's sentence even more.  The central question in this case will be whether judges have to follow strict sentencing guidelines at sentence modification hearings.  Arguments will be heard next year.

The case is Dillon v. United States, 09-6338.

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