{"id":8052,"date":"2009-11-18T11:13:42","date_gmt":"2009-11-18T16:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=8052"},"modified":"2009-11-18T11:14:45","modified_gmt":"2009-11-18T16:14:45","slug":"sentences-merit-closer-scrutiny-by-appellate-courts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2009\/11\/sentences-merit-closer-scrutiny-by-appellate-courts\/","title":{"rendered":"Sentences Merit Closer Scrutiny by Appellate Courts"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have a new article on SSRN <\/a>entitled “Appellate Review of Sentences: Reconsidering Deference.”\u00a0 As the title suggests, I review the standard\u00a0arguments in favor of the prevailing rubber-stamp approach to appellate review of sentences, and I conclude that the arguments are something short of compelling.\u00a0 Here is the abstract:<\/p>\n

American appellate courts have long resisted calls that they play a more robust role in the sentencing process, insisting that they must defer to what they characterize as the superior sentencing competence of trial judges. This position is unfortunate insofar as rigorous appellate review might advance uniformity and other rule-of-law values that are threatened by broad trial-court discretion. This Article thus provides the first systematic critique of the appellate courts\u2019 standard justifications for deferring to trial-court sentencing decisions. For instance, these justifications are shown to be based on premises that are inconsistent with empirical research on cognition and decision-making. Despite the shortcomings of the standard justifications, the Article suggests that there is a stronger argument for deference that is based on the trial judge\u2019s background knowledge regarding the particular circumstances of the local community and courthouse. Even the potential benefits of localization, though, do not clearly outweigh the rule-of-law costs of appellate deference. Thus, the Article concludes with a proposal for a sliding-scale approach to deference that strengthens the appellate role, but also accommodates localization values in the cases in which they are most salient. <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article will appear in the William & Mary Law Review <\/em>in 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have a new article on SSRN entitled “Appellate Review of Sentences: Reconsidering Deference.”\u00a0 As the title suggests, I review the standard\u00a0arguments in favor of the prevailing rubber-stamp approach to appellate review of sentences, and I conclude that the arguments are something short of compelling.\u00a0 Here is the abstract: American appellate courts have long resisted 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