Case Name: UNITED STATES of America, Appellant v. John MCLEAN
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Jurisdiction: United States
Decision Date: 2009-07-27
Citations: 339 F. App'x 148
Docket Number: No. 08-2507
Parties: UNITED STATES of America, Appellant v. John MCLEAN.
Judges: Before: RENDELL, FUENTES and ROTH, Circuit Judges.
Reporter: West's Federal Appendix
Volume: 339
Pages: 148–149

Head Matter:
UNITED STATES of America, Appellant v. John MCLEAN.
No. 08-2507.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.
Submitted Under Third Circuit LAR 34.1(a) July 13, 2009.
Filed: July 27, 2009.
Theodore B. Smith, III, Esq., Office of United States Attorney, Harrisburg, PA, for Appellant.
James A. Swetz, Esq., Cramer, Swetz & McManus, Stroudsburg, PA, for Defendant-Appellee.
Before: RENDELL, FUENTES and ROTH, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
OPINION OF THE COURT
RENDELL, Circuit Judge.
This appeal raises a single issue: whether a district court may reduce a defendant's sentence under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), the statutory provision allowing a court to reduce a sentence which is "based on a sentencing range that has subsequently been lowered by the Sentencing Commission," when that sentence is imposed pursuant to a binding plea agreement. Concluding that enforcement of the stipulated sentence was not required, the District Court reduced defendant John McLean's sentence; the government appealed. We conclusively resolved the issue in United States v. Sanchez, holding, "If 'binding' is to have meaning, it cannot be undone by the discretionary possibility of a different sentence under § 3582(c)." 562 F.3d 275, 282 (3d Cir.2009).
Here, McLean stipulated to the sentence imposed in a binding plea agreement under Fed.R.Crim.P. 11(c)(1)(C), the validity of which is undisputed. Accordingly, we will REVERSE the order of the District Court and REMAND the case.
. The District Court had jurisdiction under 18 U.S.C. § 3231. We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291.