Criminal Prosecution, Sentence Reduction, Federal Sentencing Guidelines

The White Collar Appeal: Second Circuit Holds That Judges Can’t Increase Sentences to Offset Reductions from the First Step Act or...

Quinn Emanuel on 9/5/2025

In a case of first impression in the federal Courts of Appeals, the Second Circuit held that district courts may not consider a defendant’s potential eligibility for a sentence reduction under the First Step Act or programs...more

Important Changes to Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines

Miller Canfield on 11/3/2023

Effective November 1, 2023, the United States Sentencing Commission’s Amendment 821, also known as the “2023 Criminal History Amendment,” has officially become part of the federal sentencing guidelines. Thousands of...more

No Shortcuts: District Court Must Calculate Guidelines Range Before Ruling on Sentencing Reduction Motion

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP on 6/20/2018

In United States v. Brooks, the Court (Leval, Pooler, Hall) reiterated that district courts are required to calculate the applicable Sentencing Guidelines range when faced with a § 3582(c)(2) motion for a sentence reduction,...more

Circuit Vacates Sentence for Failure to Correctly Apply Acceptance-of-Responsibility Guideline

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP on 1/10/2018

In a summary order on January 2, 2018 in United States v. Reyes, the Court (Winter, Lynch, Droney) vacated and remanded a life sentence as procedurally unreasonable on the ground that the district court failed to properly...more

In Summary Order, Second Circuit Provides Guidance to Courts Deciding Motions for Sentence Reductions

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP on 2/26/2017

On February 16, 2017, the Second Circuit (Leval, Calabresi, Carney) issued a summary order in United States v. Lopez, No. 16-1019, vacating and remanding for reconsideration the district court’s denial of the appellant’s...more

Criminal Prosecution › Sentence Reduction › Federal Sentencing Guidelines

The White Collar Appeal: Second Circuit Holds That Judges Can’t Increase Sentences to Offset Reductions from the First Step Act or...

Important Changes to Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines

No Shortcuts: District Court Must Calculate Guidelines Range Before Ruling on Sentencing Reduction Motion

Circuit Vacates Sentence for Failure to Correctly Apply Acceptance-of-Responsibility Guideline

In Summary Order, Second Circuit Provides Guidance to Courts Deciding Motions for Sentence Reductions

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