In a case that mentions Rambo and quotes from 12 Angry Men, a Ninth Circuit panel today in US v. Jimison, No. 06-30417 (9th Cir. July 16, 2007) (available here), limits the reach of a firearms enhancement under the federal sentencing guidelines. Perhaps the fact that Hollywood is within the circuit helps account for the cinematic qualities of the decision in Jimison.
- Libby Commutation update: Scotus Blog reports Victor Rita's lawyer is seeking a review in the Supreme Court. He wants the court to revisit Booker. Huh? Then what? You can read the text of the petition here (pdf)
- Matt Yglesias on the Georgia Pardon Board's stay of Troy Davis' execution:
Wait, wait; it looks like the Board of Pardons and Paroles may not actually have the power to pardon, only to commute the sentence to life in prison. Oy. If the man's innocent, he's innocent.
Matt also makes this astute comment.
Someone or other mentioned to me yesterday that in a sick way Davis is lucky he got the death penalty since that meant some people were paying attention to the case and a minor ruckus eventually got raised. Suppose Davis had just been sitting in prison on a 20-to-life sentence, would anyone have even noticed? The extent to which the criminal justice system allows for the railroading of poor people with little means is simply off the charts, and the incredible reliance on wildly unreliable eyewitness testimony is a big part of the issue.