Opinion ID: 2645410
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Amendments to the Guidelines

Text: Since Mr. Norwood’s initial sentencing in 1994, the Sentencing Commission has adopted three amendments to the Guidelines that are relevant to this appeal. In 1995, the Commission made retroactive Amendment 505, which reduced the highest base offense level available for all drug tables in the Guidelines from 42 to 38. See U.S.S.G. App. C, Vol. I, amend. 536 (Nov. 1, 1995); see also id. App. C, Vol. I, amend. 505 (Nov. 1, 1994); United States v. Pedraza, 550 F.3d 1218, 1219 (10th Cir. 2008). In 2007, the Commission promulgated Amendment 706, which “generally 1 In 1999, the district court resentenced Mr. Norwood, pursuant to the Government’s Fed. R. Crim. P. 35(b) motion, to 360 months in prison on thirteen counts, 240 months in prison on two counts, and 60 months in prison on two counts. As the Government observes, “[t]his resentencing has no relevancy to [Mr. Norwood’s] eligibility for a sentence reduction,” Aplee. Br. at 4 n.2, because the “applicable guideline range” for this inquiry is “determined before considering any departure provision in the Guidelines Manual or any variance,” U.S.S.G. § 1B1.10 cmt. 1(A) (parentheses omitted). See also United States v. Roa-Medina, 607 F.3d 255, 260 (holding that sentences reduced under Rule 35(b) “remain ‘based on’ the restricted guidelines range that applied at the initial sentencing”). -4- adjusted downward by two levels the base offense level assigned to quantities of crack cocaine.” United States v. Sharkey, 543 F.3d 1236, 1237 (10th Cir. 2008); see also U.S.S.G. App. C, Vol. III, amend. 706 (Nov. 1, 2007). This amendment became retroactive on March 3, 2008. See U.S.S.G. App. C, Vol. III, amend. 713 (Mar. 3, 2008). It left base offense levels unchanged for offenses involving 4.5 kilograms of crack cocaine or greater. See id. App. C, Vol. III, amend. 706. In November 2011, the Sentencing Commission made retroactive Amendment 750, which permanently reduced the offense levels for the crack cocaine guidelines to reflect the new 18:1 ratio between crack and powder cocaine established in the Fair Sentencing Act (“FSA”), Pub. L. No. 111-220, 124 Stat. 2372. See U.S.S.G. App. C, Vol. III, amend. 750 (Nov. 1, 2011); id. App. C., Vol. III, amend. 759 (Nov. 1, 2011) (giving Amendment 750 retroactive effect). “The amendment altered the drug-quantity tables in the Guidelines, ‘increasing the required quantity to be subject to each base offense level in a manner proportionate to the statutory change to the mandatory minimums effectuated by the FSA.’” United States v. Osborn, 679 F.3d 1193, 1194 (10th Cir. 2012) (quoting United States v. Curet, 670 F.3d 296, 309 (1st Cir. 2012)). Although Amendment 750 increased the amount of crack cocaine required to establish the highest base offense level from 4.5 to 8.4 kilograms, it did not lower base offense levels for distribution convictions associated with 8.4 kilograms of crack cocaine or greater. See U.S.S.G. App. C, Vol. III, amend. 750. -5-