January 13, 2005

Supreme Court ruling delays Ann Arbor case

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the way judges have been sentencing about 60,000 defendants a year is unconstitutional threw the nation\'s federal sentencing system into turmoil Wednesday. The ruling determined that judges have been improperly adding time to some criminals' prison stays. Wayne State law professor David Moran calls the decision a "mixed bag," pointing out that it will take time for lower courts and Congress to determine ramifications of the ruling. But he said the situation has to be resolved quickly because "judges have to keep sentencing every day and the courts are going to have to figure things out on the fly."

Subscribe to Today@Wayne

Direct to your inbox twice a week

Related articles