SCOTUS cuts some Federal Sentencing Guidelines

This is good news. Bloomberg reports The U.S. Supreme Court struck down aspects of the federal criminal sentencing guidelines. "The justices, ruling in two drug cases, said the guidelines unconstitutionally call on judges to increase the range of possible sentences based on their own factual findings, rather than those of a jury. Today's decision said that practice violates the constitutional right to a jury trial."

"The court said the guidelines will no longer be mandatory on federal judges and instead will be 'effectively advisory'."

Thanks to all the brave souls on the federal bench for making enough noise on this issue to drown out Ashcroft and his minions' insistence that these ill-advised guidelines were necessary. I'm sure it had at least some effect on the Supremes decision.