Opinion ID: 672848
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disparate Punishment of Crack Offenses

Text: 30 Thompson complains that the federal sentencing guidelines punish offenses involving crack cocaine much more severely than they punish offenses involving cocaine powder. Following Congress's lead, see 21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(b), the guidelines treat each gram of crack as they treat 100 grams of powder, see U.S.S.G. Sec. 2D1.1. Thompson argues that this disparity has a disproportionate impact on African-Americans, because empirical evidence establishes that African-Americans are far more likely to be prosecuted for cocaine base offenses than are whites, and whites are far more likely to be prosecuted for cocaine powder offenses. Appellant's Opening Brief at 45. As the claim rests solely on the differential impact of provisions that are race-neutral on their face, and Thompson makes no suggestion that the disparity reflects any discriminatory intent, cf. Washington v. Davis, 426 U.S. 229, 96 S.Ct. 2040, 48 L.Ed.2d 597 (1976), 3 the distinction is valid so long as it rests on a rational basis. Thompson claims that that basis is absent, so that the distinction violates both the due-process and equal-protection components of the Fifth Amendment. He also argues that the harsh sentences for crack offenses constitute cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment. 31 As the appellant recognizes, however, we have already held that the disparate treatment of crack and powder cocaine easily survives both rational-basis review and Eighth Amendment challenge. See United States v. Cyrus, 890 F.2d 1245, 1248 (D.C.Cir.1989). In rejecting Thompson's position, we are in the company of all other circuits that have addressed either his Fifth Amendment claims, see, e.g., United States v. Williams, 982 F.2d 1209 (8th Cir.1992); United States v. Jones, 979 F.2d 317 (3d Cir.1992); United States v. Robinson, 978 F.2d 1554 (10th Cir.1992); United States v. King, 972 F.2d 1259 (11th Cir.1992); United States v. Harding, 971 F.2d 410 (9th Cir.1992); United States v. Williams, 962 F.2d 1218 (6th Cir.1992); United States v. Lawrence, 951 F.2d 751 (7th Cir.1991); United States v. Galloway, 951 F.2d 64 (5th Cir.1992); United States v. Thomas, 900 F.2d 37 (4th Cir.1990), or his Eighth Amendment claim, see, e.g., United States v. Frazier, 981 F.2d 92 (3d Cir.1992); United States v. Avant, 907 F.2d 623 (6th Cir.1990); United States v. Buckner, 894 F.2d 975 (8th Cir.1990). 32 Thompson also contends that even if the sentencing scheme is constitutional, the disparate racial impact of the guideline ranges for crack offenses provides grounds for a downward departure from those ranges. Departures, however, are warranted only if the sentencing court finds a mitigating circumstance that was not adequately taken into consideration by the Sentencing Commission in formulating the guidelines and that should result in a sentence different from that described. 18 U.S.C. Sec. 3553(b). We do not think that the disparate racial impact identified by Thompson qualifies as such a circumstance. 33 The purpose of departures is to allow adjustment where special characteristics of the crime or the offender are so unusual as to render unjust an otherwise just sentence under the guidelines. See, e.g., United States v. Aguilar-Pena, 887 F.2d 347, 350 (1st Cir.1989). Thus, the Sentencing Commission has indicated that courts should consider departures only in an atypical case, one to which a particular guideline linguistically applies but where conduct significantly differs from the norm. U.S.S.G. Ch. 1, Pt. A, Sec. 4(b). Yet if the disparate racial impact of the guideline ranges for crack offenses warranted a departure in any case, it would warrant a departure in every case. One could hardly justify granting departures only for African-American defendants and not for defendants of other races, since the same offense would then lead to different punishments based solely on the defendant's race. Even if this scheme were constitutional, it would violate the Sentencing Commission's policy statement that race is not relevant in the determination of a sentence. See U.S.S.G. Sec. 5H1.10. Thus, though Cyrus establishes that the relatively severe punishments for crack offenses serve rational policy goals and reflect legitimate differences between crack and powder cocaine, the courts would effectively have reduced the applicable guideline ranges across the board, using a power devised for atypical cases to cut the sentence for typical ones. We join several of our sister circuits in rejecting Thompson's argument. See United States v. Bynum, 3 F.3d 769, 774-75 (4th Cir.1993); United States v. Haynes, 985 F.2d 65, 70 (2d Cir.1993); United States v. Pickett, 941 F.2d 411, 417-18 (6th Cir.1991).