Opinion ID: 1208474
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Morrow's case is remanded for resentencing.

Text: Finally, we turn to David Morrow, who like Harris challenges only his sentence. Morrow maintains that the district court provided an insufficient explanation for its decision to sentence him to 504 months' imprisonment. After the prosecutor and defense counsel concluded their arguments at the sentencing hearing, the district court said: the Court's considered all the information in the presentence report including guideline computations and factors set forth in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). Pursuant to the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, it is the judgment of this Court that the defendant, David T. Morrow, is hereby committed for a term of 504 months on Count I, 240 months on Count 10. The terms are to run concurrently. The district court said nothing further during the hearing about its rationale for imposing a 504-month sentence, and Morrow maintains that more explanation is needed. A provision in the United States Code, 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c), states that at the time of sentencing, a sentencing judge shall state in open court the reasons for its imposition of the particular sentence. The statute also says that if a sentence is within an advisory guidelines range, and that range exceeds 24 months, the judge shall state as well the reason for imposing a sentence at a particular point within the range. 18 U.S.C. § 3553(c)(1). The Supreme Court explained that the requirement in § 3553(c) that a judge state its reasons for a sentence in court reflects sound judicial practice, but that the appropriateness of how much to say depends upon circumstances. Rita v. United States, 551 U.S. 338, 356, 127 S.Ct. 2456, 168 L.Ed.2d 203 (2007). An appellate court's review of a sentence is for reasonableness, and the more explanation we have, the better equipped we are to assess whether an imposed sentence meets that standard. See id. at 356-57, 127 S.Ct. 2456. Less explanation is typically needed when a district court sentences within an advisory guidelines range. See id.; United States v. Dean, 414 F.3d 725, 729 (7th Cir.2005); see also United States v. Rodriguez-Alvarez, 425 F.3d 1041, 1047 (7th Cir.2005) (explaining that § 3553(c) does not require a detailed recitation of all the § 3553(a) factors when a court sentences within a guidelines range). Here, the 504-month sentence was within the guidelines range. But it's quite the range: 360 months to life. That means that the 504-month sentence Morrow received was twelve years more than the low end of his advisory guidelines range. (The 33 to 41 month range at issue in Rita spanned only 8 months, and the longest span in a guidelines range where life is not an endpoint is 81 months.) If the oral explanation were the only one the district court provided, we might have more concern. That is especially true since neither party requested a sentence of 504 months (the government had asked for life). However, the record also contains a Statement of Reasons that the district court filed four days after judgment. In it, the court explained as the reason for its sentence: The Court sentences the defendant to 504 months. This is the defendant's fifth felony conviction with four being drug cases. The defendant has prior convictions involving guns. The defendant was a leader in the drug business. [2] Although the parties did not direct us to the statement, in line with our encouragement that sentencing judges commit difficult sentencing decisions to paper, we have considered such statements before. See United States v. Burton, 543 F.3d 950, 953 (7th Cir.2008). We consider it here as well, but it does not end our inquiry into whether the sentencing explanation was sufficient. We have long recognized that a discourse of every single § 3553(a) factor is not always necessary or practical, especially when the sentence is within the guidelines range. Dean, 414 F.3d at 729. But it is also the case that a rote statement that the judge considered all relevant factors will not always suffice. United States v. Cunningham, 429 F.3d 673, 679 (7th Cir.2005). In particular, when a court has passed over in silence the principal argument made by the defendant even though the argument is not so weak as not to merit discussion, we do not have the assurance we need to satisfy ourselves that the defendant's individual circumstances have been thoroughly considered. Id. Morrow's counsel raised his client's poor health to the district court at sentencing and argued that it militated in favor of a sentence at the low end of the guidelines range. The Presentence Report spelled out that Morrow had been diagnosed with diabetes in January 2006, and, only ten months later, had to have his left leg amputated. In a separate sentencing recommendation section, the Report also said: Mitigating factors in this case include health concerns. He has had significant complications as a result of diabetes, including the amputation of one leg. It is true that counsel could have done a better job highlighting the disease's complications at the sentencing hearing. Nonetheless, Morrow's argument based on his health was not one that was clearly without merit such that it could be passed over without comment. A district court, in its discretion, can consider a defendant's physical impairments in determining an appropriate sentence. See United States v. Millet, 510 F.3d 668, 680 (7th Cir.2007) (stating that although U.S.S.G. § 5H1.4 provides that physical condition is not ordinarily relevant in the decision to depart downward from the guidelines unless the impairment is extraordinary, a district court can consider physical impairments when exercising its discretion in accordance with § 3553(a)); cf. United States v. Allday, 542 F.3d 571, 573-74 (7th Cir. 2008) (affirming sentence where court explained its reasons, took into account the defendant's health problems, and concluded that the Bureau of Prisons could adequately treat the defendant's health issues, including his sleep apnea and diabetes). More to the point, in United States v. Wurzinger, 467 F.3d 649 (7th Cir.2006), we said in considering a sentencing challenge that the defendant's strongest argument is that his diabetes will kill him before he is free. Id. at 651. Like Morrow, the defendant in Wurzinger was already experiencing complications from his diabetes. Because the district court in Wurzinger explicitly recognized the defendant's illness at sentencing but pointed to other factors that, despite the illness, warranted the sentence, we found no error in the sentencing decision. Id. at 653-54. (We expressed no opinion as to whether a lower sentence also would have been reasonable.) Similarly, in United States v. Bullion, 466 F.3d 574 (7th Cir.2006), we affirmed a sentence where the district court had weighed the defendant's insulin-dependent diabetic status and age against his dangerousness to society. In this case, though, we cannot assure ourselves that the district court weighed Morrow's health complications against other factors when it imposed the 504-month sentence, as we see no indication that the district court considered it. We therefore remand Morrow's case for resentencing. As we do so, we note that we asked the government at oral argument whether, if we rejected Morrow's argument that the explanation was insufficient, a remand under Taylor, 520 F.3d 746, was appropriate for Morrow as the government had said it was for Harris. The government responded that such a remand would not aid Morrow because he admitted responsibility for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine (he admitted to 4.88 kilograms, to be exact). In 2008, the United States Sentencing Commission reduced the base offense levels for many crack cocaine offenses. See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c); Supp. to App. C, 226-31 (2008) (Amendment 706). The Commission made these changes retroactive. See U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10(a)(1); see also 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c). However, the new guideline, like the previous guideline, kept the base offense level at 38 for a defendant who is responsible for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine. See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c). Therefore, a defendant responsible for more than 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine cannot benefit from Amendment 706 and will not receive any relief on an 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c) motion for a reduction in sentence in light of that amendment. United States v. Forman, 553 F.3d 585, 590 (7th Cir.2009). But there is no 4.5 kilogram limitation on the applicability of Kimbrough at an initial sentencing hearing. Under the new guidelines, while the base offense level is 38 when the controlling quantity is 4.5 kilograms or more of crack cocaine, the level is only 30 when the measuring stick is 4.5 kilograms (or 4.88 kilograms) of powder cocaine. See U.S.S.G. § 2D1.1(c). Under Kimbrough, a sentencing judge can take this disparity into account when deciding what sentence to impose. So the district court may consider the impact of Kimbrough during Morrow's resentencing as well.