By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com WASHINGTON – It’s almost judgment day for ex-Rep. William Jefferson, the New Orleans Congressman who at one time seemed invincible. That was at one time. Last year, he lost his seat in a bid for a 10th term. Then this past summer he was convicted by a federal jury on 11…
No matter the date, Jefferson is likely to get whacked at sentencing. Though the conviction was overwhelming — guilty on 11 of 16 counts — he’s not likely to show much remorse at sentencing because of his plan to appeal the conviction. He may either tell the judge he did some foolish things, but he’s…
This has long been one of the unfair disparities in sentencing. No question crack cocaine has plagued urban America and destroyed neighborhoods and lives. But should crack have ever been treated differently than powdered cocaine when it came to sentencing? By Del Quentin Wilber Washington Post Staff Writer WASHINGTON — Federal judges are beginning to…
This change has been a long time coming. The disparity in sentencing was a simple minded approach to a complicated issue that has plagued America’s inner cities where crack cocaine sales are most prevalent. There has to be a smarter approach to dealing with this problem that has lead to the deterioration of so many…
