Opinion ID: 1237160
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Guideline Architecture

Text: In a common-sense manner, the guidelines establish a method for determining a range of possible sentences, from which the judge generally may chose a sentence. Thus, a common range might be 90-120 months, from which the judge could chose a particular specific sentence. However, the guidelines specifically contemplate that this range can be altered when required by statute as, for example, with a mandatory minimum or maximum sentence. The guidelines specifically state, at U.S. SENTENCING GUIDELINES MANUAL (U.S.S.G) § 5G1.1(b) (2007), that when the otherwise applicable range is impacted by such a restraint, the applicable range is now restricted so that the minimum of the range is the statutory minimum, or the maximum of the range is the statutory maximum. Thus, if, in the above example, there were a mandatory minimum of 100 months, the range would become 100-120 months. Further, under the explicit language of this section, if the mandatory minimum were to be 120 months, the range would clearly be 120-120 months, or, in fact a single point. U.S.S.G. § 5G1.1(c)(2). Gibney, 519 F.3d at 303 (interpreting a plea agreement that said the defendant waived his right to appeal a sentence of imprisonment within the applicable Guideline Range, but not less than any mandatory minimum sentence required by law.). I don't think there is any disagreement in the analysis thus far. In the case of a mandatory minimum that is above the otherwise established range, the guideline language simply says that the mandatory minimum is the guideline sentence. U.S.S.G. § 5G1.1(b). However, as just indicated, there is nothing anomalous with the approved range being a single point, and thus I see no dispositive significance in the use of guideline sentence rather than guideline range in also specifying a single point that is the appropriate sentence under the guidelines. The general import of range in the guideline architecture is to specify all possible sentences that a judge can give without entering the areas of considerations of departures from the guideline range as governed by §§ 5K1.1-5K2.24 of the guidelines.