JUDGES Act

Summary

Judicial Use of Discretion to Guarantee Equity in Sentencing Act of 2003 (JUDGES Act) - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to report to Congress on the incidence of downward departures from the U.S. sentencing guidelines (i.e., imposition of a sentence below the range established by such guidelines). Includes among required report contents: (1) a discussion of the history and purpose of departures in the Federal system; (2) information on rates of departures from the guidelines among different districts and judicial circuits and among different offense and departure types; (3) an analysis of the grounds provided by district court judges when they depart from the guidelines; (4) a comparison of the departure authority in Federal law with that of State systems; and (5) an assessment of the extent to which departures undermine or promote the purposes of sentencing. Repeals specified nonconforming (sentencing reform) provisions of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (PROTECT Act), including provisions that limit judges' discretion in sentencing, require the Chief Judge of each district court to submit written reports to the Commission within 30 days of entry of judgment in every criminal case, and make changes to the composition of the Commission.

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Timeline

1. 22 May 2003

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 22 May 2003

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 22 May 2003

   Introduced

   Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 23 May 2003

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1068)

   Source: IntroReferral

5. 25 June 2003

   Referred

   Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in House · 22 May 2003 · Official file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 22 May 2003

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 22 May 2003

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 22 May 2003

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• JOHN CONYERS · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-26] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Delahunt, Bill [D-MA-10] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Watt, Melvin L. [D-NC-12] · D · Sponsor
• Maxine Waters · D · Sponsor
• Sheila Jackson Lee · D · Sponsor
• Linda Sánchez · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] · I · Sponsor
• Barbara Lee · D · Sponsor
• Rep. McDermott, Jim [D-WA-7] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Filner, Bob [D-CA-51] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Millender-McDonald, Juanita [D-CA-37] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Jones, Stephanie Tubbs [D-OH-11] · D · Sponsor
• Rep. Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-17] · D · Sponsor
• Betty McCollum · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Scott, Robert C. "Bobby" [D-VA-3] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Davis, Jim [D-FL-11] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Stark, Fortney Pete [D-CA-9] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Waxman, Henry A. [D-CA-24] · D · Cosponsor
• Raúl Grijalva · D · Cosponsor
• Zoe Lofgren · D · Cosponsor
• Anna Eshoo · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Solis, Hilda L. [D-CA-32] · D · Cosponsor
• James McGovern · D · Cosponsor
• ELIJAH CUMMINGS · D · Cosponsor
• · hsju00 · Standing

Related records

• related to ← JUDGES Act