Federal Judge Criticizes Eric Holder for ‘Unprecedented’ Action

A federal judge strongly criticized Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday for taking what he said was unilateral action on drug sentencing.

United States Attorney General Eric Holder speaks at the National Action Network convention in New York, Wednesday, April 9, 2014. The 16th annual convention will run through April 12. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

U.S. Circuit Judge William Pryor Jr., a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, expressed his unease with Holder directive to federal prosecutors on reducing prosecutions and sentencing for drug crimes, thus bypassing the regular commission process.

“The law provides the executive no authority to establish national sentencing policies based on speculation about how we and Congress might vote on a proposed amendment,” Pryor said.

The Sentencing Commission was already forming an amendment to the sentencing guidelines to submit to Congress for consideration.

“I regret that before we voted on the amendment, the attorney general instructed assistant United States attorneys across the Nation not to object to defense requests to apply the proposed amendment in sentencing proceedings going forward,” Pryor said. “That unprecedented instruction disrespected our statutory role.”


http://www.theblaze.com/stories/201...at-executive-branch-had-no-authority-to-take/