Prepared Statement: U.S. Sentencing Commission, before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, March 16, 2006 Available to Purchase

Chairman Coble, Ranking Member Scott, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the invitation to testify today on behalf of the United States Sentencing Commission regarding the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Booker¹ on federal sentencing.

I appeared before this Committee just a few weeks after the Booker decision in February 2005, and stated that the Booker decision was the most significant case affecting the federal sentencing guidelines system since the Supreme Court upheld the Sentencing Reform Act in Mistretta.² My testimony this morning will focus on the Commission’s activities since the Booker decision, particularly our work that culminated in our recently released report on the impact of Booker. The Commission remains uniquely positioned to assist all three branches of government in ensuring the continued security of the public while providing fair and just sentences. To fulfill this role,...