Mental healthcare organization must pay $1 million in wrongful death 
Published: February 28, 2012
Tags: cocaine, mental health, overdose, West Virginia, wrongful death
Prestera Center has agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that workers at the center’s Dunbar, W.Va. inebriation shelter caused a man’s death by failing to notice that he had overdosed on cocaine and other drugs.
Plea deal prevents reduction of crack cocaine sentence 
Published: December 22, 2011
Tags: cocaine, retroactivity, sentencing, sentencing guidelines
The terms of a drug defendant’s plea deal prevented the reduction of his sentence under a retroactive application of amended guidelines for crack cocaine offenses, the 1st Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.
Plea agreement doesn’t preclude sentence reduction 
Published: June 23, 2011
Tags: cocaine, crack, sentencing
A plea agreement authorizing a particular sentence does not preclude a defendant from later seeking a reduction in his term of imprisonment pursuant to amended guidelines for crack cocaine offenses, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 5-4 decision.
Crack cocaine sentence isn’t subject to reduction 
Published: June 3, 2011
Tags: cocaine, crack, Fair Sentencing Act, retroactivity, sentencing
A crack cocaine defendant was not entitled to a reduction in his term of imprisonment under guidelines enacted by Congress after he was sentenced, the 9th Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.
Fair Sentencing Act retroactive 
Published: June 1, 2011
Tags: cocaine, crack, Fair Sentencing Act, mandatory minimums, sentencing
A cocaine defendant may be sentenced under the reduced mandatory minimum guidelines adopted by Congress after the commission of his offense, the 1st Circuit has ruled in affirming judgment.
Court to rule on meaning of ‘cocaine base’ 
By:
Nora Tooher
Published: October 12, 2010
Tags: cocaine, sentencing
The U.S. Supreme Court will seek to clarify the kind of federal crimes involving cocaine that would require a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Senate votes to cut crack-powder sentencing gap 
By:
Kimberly Atkins
Published: March 18, 2010
Tags: cocaine, sentencing, sentencing guidelines
WASHINGTON – The Senate has approved a bill that would significantly cut the disparity between sentences for powder cocaine offenses and those involving crack cocaine.
Use of cocaine sentencing ratio not mandatory 
By:
Pat Murphy
Published: August 13, 2009
Tags: cocaine, sentencing guidelines
A federal judge was not required to sentence a convicted drug defendant in strict accordance with federal guidelines concerning the treatment of crack cocaine offenses, the 6th Circuit has ruled.
Commission urges end of crack sentencing disparity 
By:
Kimberly Atkins
Published: May 1, 2009
Tags: cocaine, sentencing, U.S. Sentencing Commission
WASHINGTON – A representative of the U.S. Sentencing Commission is urging members of Congress to pass legislation reducing the disparity between sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses.
SENTENCING GUIDELINES 
By:
Reni Gertner
Published: October 14, 2008
Tags: cocaine, sentencing
A U.S. District Court has the discretion to consider the federal sentencing guidelines’ disparate treatment of crack and powder cocaine in determining a sentence for a defendant convicted of intending to distribute crack cocaine.
Moore v. U.S., No. 07-10689. Oct 14, 2008.
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