Public Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines
Thursday, February 23, 2023 and Friday, February 24, 2023
Washington, DC
Notice
Pursuant to Rule 3.2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the United States Sentencing Commission, a public hearing was scheduled for Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24, 2023 to commence at 9:00 a.m. (ET) on both days.
The public hearing was held in the Mecham Conference Center in the Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus Circle, NE, Washington, DC. The hearing was livestreamed.
The purpose of the public hearing was for the Commission to receive testimony on proposed amendments to the federal sentencing guidelines related to Compassionate Release, Sex Abuse of a Ward, and Acquitted Conduct.
A video recording and transcript of this event are available below.
Agenda and Witnesses
February 23, 2023
9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks
Hon. Carlton W. Reeves (9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.)
Chair, U.S. Sentencing Commission
Proposed Amendment on Compassionate Release
Panel I. Executive Branch Perspective (9:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.)
Robert Parker
Chief, Appellate Section, Criminal Division
U.S. Department of Justice
Panel II. Practitioners’ Perspectives (9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Kelly Barrett
First Assistant Federal Defender
District of ConnecticutNatasha Sen
Chair
Practitioners Advisory GroupJoshua Matz
Kaplan, Hecker & Fink
Washington, DC
Break (10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.)
Panel III. Law Enforcement Perspectives (10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.)
Trent Shores
Former United States Attorney for the Northern District of OklahomaSteve Wasserman
President
National Association of Assistant United States AttorneysBrenda Goss Andrews
National President
National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)Chief Kathy Lester
Sacramento, California
Major City Chiefs
Panel IV. Judicial Branch Perspective (11:30 a.m. – noon)
Hon. Randolph D. Moss
Chair
Committee on Criminal Law of the Judicial Conference of the United States
Lunch (noon – 1:15 p.m.)
Panel V. Community Perspectives (1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.)
Mary Price
General Counsel
FAMMAlan Vinegrad
Board Member
Center for Justice and Human DignityKellie Surdis
Interested CitizenJaniene Mallory
Interested Citizen
Panel VI. Advisory Group Perspectives (2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.)
Jill Bushaw
Chair
Probation Officers Advisory GroupMary Graw Leary
Chair
Victims Advisory Group
Panel VII. Formerly Incarcerated Individuals (2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.)
Panel VIII. Academic Perspectives (3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
Erica Zunkel
Clinical Professor of Law
Associate Director, Federal Criminal Justice Clinic
University of Chicago Law SchoolPaul J. Larkin
The John, Barbara, and Victoria Rumpel Senior Legal Research Fellow,
Edwin Reese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
The Heritage FoundationAndrea Harris
Adjunct Professor
Federal Criminal Sentence Reduction Clinic
University of Virginia School of LawCaitlin J. Taylor, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
La Salle UniversityJennifer Mascott
Assistant Professor of Law; Co-Executive Director,
The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State,
Antonin Scalia Law School,
George Mason University
Adjourn
February 24, 2023
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Opening Remarks
Hon. Carlton W. Reeves (9:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.)
Chair, U.S. Sentencing Commission
Proposed Amendment on Sex Abuse of a Ward
Panel I. Executive Branch Perspective (9:15 a.m. – 9:35 a.m.)
Marshall Miller
Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General
Department of Justice
Panel II. Defense Practitioners’ Perspectives (9:35 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.)
Heather Williams
Federal Public Defender
Eastern District of CaliforniaNatasha Sen
Chair
Practitioners Advisory Group
Panel III. Advisory Groups’ Perspectives (10:05 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Jill Bushaw
Chair
Probation Officers Advisory GroupMary Graw Leary
Chair
Victims Advisory Group
Break (10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.)
Proposed Amendment on Acquitted Conduct
Panel IV. Executive Branch Perspective (10:45 a.m. – 11:05 a.m.)
Jessica D. Aber
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia
Department of Justice
Panel V. Defense Practitioners’ Perspectives (11:05 a.m. – 11:35 a.m.)
Melody Brannon
Federal Public Defender
District of KansasNatasha Sen
Chair
Practitioners Advisory Group
Panel VI. Advisory Groups’ Perspectives (11:35 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.)
Jill Bushaw
Chair
Probation Officers Advisory GroupMary Graw Leary
Chair
Victims Advisory Group
Panel VII. Practitioners’ Perspectives (12:05 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.)
Steve Wasserman
President
National Association of Assistant United States AttorneysMike Heiskell
President Elect
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Adjourn
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