Rutherford v. United States · ¶71

Before 1984, federal judges had broad discretion when sentencing defendants. Statutes provided minimums and maximums for judges to work between, but within those ranges, judges could determine for themselves what sentence was appropriate. See Mistretta v. United States, 488 U. S. 361, 363–366 (1989). This system allowed judges to consider individual defendants' circumstances, but it also led to “[s]erious disparities in sentences.” Id., at 365.

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