Like a rock tossed in a lake, the U.S. Supreme Court’s January decision in Booker v. United States that struck down the federal sentencing guidelines had a rippling effect on the lower courts, creating waves of litigation, as criminal defendants at every stage tried to take advantage of it.
Now a clearer picture is emerging of just how far those ripples extend — which defendants will benefit and which ones will be told they have no claim — as, one by one, the federal appellate courts have weighed in on key questions about when Booker applies.
