Federal Sentencing in Kentucky

Federal Sentencing in Kentucky: The Uniform Framework

Federal sentencing in Kentucky follows the same framework used in every federal judicial district: the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines, the sentencing factors in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a), and any statutory minimum or maximum set by the statute of conviction.

The guidelines are advisory, not mandatory. Since United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005), a court must calculate the guideline range but may impose a sentence outside it after considering the § 3553(a) factors.

Guideline Source

U.S.S.G. (Guidelines Manual)

Published by the United States Sentencing Commission.

Statutory Factors

18 U.S.C. § 3553(a)

The factors every court must consider at sentencing.

Commission Mandate

28 U.S.C. § 991

The statute that establishes the Commission and its purposes.

Status

Advisory since Booker (2005)

Ranges bind the calculation, not the sentence.

Research Guides for Kentucky Federal Cases

These guides from the desk apply to federal sentencing in Kentucky as in every district:

New research notes are added to this archive as courts publish additional decisions.

Federal Sentencing by State

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