"The Aftermath of Blakely and the Future of Sentencing"

Wednesday, October 6, 5:30 - 7:00pm, Room 127.

"This Blakely decision is stunning in its impact. . . I think it's
beyond Miranda, because it affects every case." Senator Jeff
Sessions, July 13, 2004.

"The criminal justice system has begun to run amok. . . . You've
heard of circuit splits, but here we have splits even within a single
district." Senator Orrin Hatch, July 13, 2004.

This summer, the Supreme Court invalidated the state of Washington's
sentencing guidelines on Sixth Amendment grounds. In the wake of the
Court's decision, chaos ensued in the federal criminal justice
system, as courts around the country took different stances on
whether Blakely also meant the federal sentencing guidelines are
unconstitutional. On Monday, October 4, the Court will hear oral
arguments in Booker and Fanfan, the two cases that will resolve the
status of the federal sentencing guidelines.

Two days later, three authorities on sentencing will speak at Yale
about the aftermath of Blakely and the future of the federal
sentencing guidelines. Patty Stemler, Chief of the Department of
Justice's Criminal Appellate Section, was intimately involved in
formulating the government's position in Booker and Fanfan. Tom
Goldstein, founding partner of the D.C. law firm Goldstein & Howe,
filed an amicus brief in Booker and Fanfan on behalf of the National
Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. And Yale Law Professor Kate
Stith is an expert on criminal procedure issues, and the author of
Fear of Judging: Sentencing Guidelines in the Federal Courts.

Please come to this exceptionally timely American Constitution
Society panel on the hottest topic in criminal procedure today!

For more information, contact Nick Stephanopoulos.