Between 2000 and 2009, the Supreme Court decided 65 criminal sentencing cases.  The Court decided for defendants in only 12 of those cases, deciding against them 53 times.  Between 2000 and 2004, criminal defendants won five of 37 cases.  Between 2005 and 2009, criminal defendants won seven cases and lost 21 cases.

Twenty-seven of these cases were won by defendants below.  The Court affirmed only four of those decisions, reversing (in whole or in part) 23 times.  Between 2000 and 2004, the Court affirmed only one of seventeen decisions.  Between 2005 and 2009, the court affirmed three decisions and reversed seven decisions.

The Court has decided 38 criminal sentencing cases lost by defendants below.  The Court has reversed, in whole or in part, in eight of those cases, and has affirmed 30 times.  Between 2000 and 2004, the Court reversed only four of twenty decisions.  From 2005 to 2009, the Court reversed four of eighteen decisions.

Join us back here next week as we continue our examination of the Court’s record on sentencing cases.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Ed Bierman (no changes).