Source: http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/commutation-support-letter-from-2013-for-weldon-angelos/1697/
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 10:52:53+00:00

Document:
More than 100 former judges and prosecutors, former elected and appointed government officials, and prominent authors, scholars, activists, and business leaders signed the following letter on behalf of Weldon Angelos and his family, urging President Obama to grant Angelos' request for commutation.
leaders—firmly believe that justice necessitates the exercise of executive clemency in this case.
convicted. No offense involved injury to any person or the threat of injury to any person.
United States v. Angelos, 345 F. Supp. 2d 1227, 1257–58 (D. Utah 2004), aff’d, 433 F.3d 738 (10th Cir. 2006), cert.
132 S. Ct. 342 (2011).
law require that any violence or injury be caused or threatened.
serving a shorter term than Mr. Angelos.
In a compelling, laudable opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Paul G. Cassell found that Mr.
67 WASH. & LEE L. REV. 1413, 1496–1501 (2010).
Ex Ante, 9 GREEN BAG 2D 101, 101 (2005).
See Angelos, 345 F. Supp. 2d at 1241, 1243, 1252.
See id. at 1259–60 (discussing Hutto v. Davis, 454 U.S. 370 (1982)).
high-ranking U.S. Justice Department officials—submitted a brief amici curiae in support of Mr.
Similar sentiments about Mr. Angelos’s sentence have been expressed outside of the courtroom.
write about criminal justice reform, and litigate on behalf of crime victims.
Petitioner at 1, 11, Angelos v. United States, 549 U.S. 1077 (2006) (No. 06-26), 2006 WL 3090058, at *1, *19.
AMERICAN LAW INSTITUTE, MODEL PENAL CODE: SENTENCING § 6.06 (T.D. No. 2, 2011).
Sen. Orrin Hatch talks Washington issues, Fox News 13 (Aug. 13, 2013), http://fox13now.com/2013/08/13/senorrin-hatch-talks-washington-issues/.
not make our country safer.
have spent more than $1.5 million locking him up.
Id. (statement of Sen. Paul), available at http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/pdf/9-18-13PaulTestimony.pdf.
Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Brett Tolman was Chief Counsel for Crime and Terrorism for the U.S.
service in the U.S. Senate, Mr. Tolman was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah.
Judiciary, 113th Cong. (2013) (statement of Brett Tolman), available at http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/pdf/9-1813TolmanTestimony.pdf.
sentence, just as Judge Cassell had done in his opinion. “Bush put Judge Cassell on the bench.
Id. (statement of Sen. Leahy), available at http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/pdf/9-18-13LeahyStatement.pdf.
See U.S. CONST. art. II, § 2, cl. 1.
USA TODAY, July 5, 2007, at A10.
and commentary in newspapers, magazines, and legal journals have described and decried the injustice of Mr.
“Second or Subsequent Conviction” Language of the Firearm Possession Sentencing Statute, 64 VAND. L. REV.
J.L., ETHICS & PUB. POL’Y 311 (2004).
Both history and current circumstances support clemency for Mr. Angelos as a matter of politics.
of most mandatory drug sentences under the guidance of then-Congressman George H.W. Bush.
Biddle v. Perovich, 274 U.S. 480, 486 (1927).
AKHIL REED AMAR, AMERICA’S CONSTITUTION: A BIOGRAPHY 189 (2006).
(introduced by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Lee (R-UT)).
See, e.g., Durbin and Lee Introduce Smarter Sentencing Act (Aug. 1, 2013).
live&filename=judiciary091813 (Sen. Lee’s statement begins at 1:20:07).
See, e.g., Erik Luna & Paul G. Cassell, Mandatory Minimalism, 32 CARDOZO L. REV. 1, 1–3 (2010).
Mr. Angelos, clemency will remain the only remedy for such miscarriages of justice.
Address at Howard University Convocation (Sept. 28, 2007).
United States (responsible for, inter alia, criminal and national security cases in the U.S.
Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of Illinois (1979–1988).
* Affiliations provided for identification only.

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