Court Opinion

ID: 9487446
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:16:52.529287+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:16.629937
License: Public Domain

RIPPLE, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I join the judgment of the court and that part of the opinion that affirms the conviction of Raymond Steels. I also agree that we have no jurisdiction over Mary Steels’ challenge to her sentence because the transcript demonstrates that the district court was fully cognizant of its authority to give a downward departure and declined to do so. I write separately to note that an examination of the transcript in this case makes evident that the district court engaged in a searching inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sale of cocaine before concluding that Ms. Steels ought to be held responsible for eight kilograms. That finding is certainly not clearly erroneous. I therefore would not suggest that the defendant should have been found to have engaged in the purchase of ten kilograms.
The care taken by the district court in analyzing the transaction in this case is commendable. In an era of crowded dockets and criminal cases raising repetitive issues concerning quantity of drugs, it is all too easy for the trial court to become overly dependent on the advice and representations of others in the sentencing process. The Sentencing Guidelines have circumscribed the *353authority of the United States District Judge to a great degree. Our descendants, when they write the history of this era, will render the definitive judgment on whether this limitation was a wise decision. Meanwhile, however, we ought to remind ourselves on occasion that the district court still does run the courtroom during sentencing and has every right to make demanding and searching inquiries about the sentencing recommendations that are made. Judges of the Third Article have limited authority, but, within these limits, they have the obligation to use it.
Another matter deserves comment. The sentencing transcript in this case discloses that the undercover agent attempted to increase the amount of the sale because he believed that a federal prosecution would only follow if a certain amount of cocaine were involved in the transaction and because he had determined that a federal prosecution was appropriate. Sentencing Tr. at 8. This approach to law enforcement is indeed disturbing. The brave men and women who risk their lives as undercover officers add nothing to their stature when they assume for themselves the responsibilities of others in government. The decision as to the kind of prosecution that ought to be brought against an individual is a matter reserved for the United States Attorney. It is a decision that is quasi-judicial in nature and ought not be usurped by a law enforcement officer. The decision ought to be based on the defendant’s culpability, not considerations of “turf” or “box scores” among law enforcement agencies.