Sentencing Guidelines

Listen to this article

7^th Circuit Court of Appeals

Case Name: United States of America v. Jamic Johnson

Case No.: 22-2174

Officials: Brennan, St. Eve, and Lee, Circuit Judges.

Focus: Sentencing Guidelines

During a warrant execution at Jamic Johnson’s residence, law enforcement discovered firearms and bags containing substances later identified as methamphetamine. This led to Johnson’s conviction on federal charges related to firearms possession and methamphetamine trafficking. When determining the sentencing guideline range for the drug trafficking offense, the district court assessed the quantity of methamphetamine attributed to Johnson. However, it failed to differentiate between pure methamphetamine and mixtures containing the drug, as required by the Sentencing Guidelines. This oversight would have resulted in a lower guideline range for Johnson. The Seventh Circuit overturned the judgment and sent the case back for resentencing. The appeal court ruled that the district court’s failure to distinguish between pure methamphetamine and mixtures containing it affected Johnson’s substantial rights and compromised the fairness and integrity of the judicial process.

Remanded and vacated.

Decided 02/29/24

Full Text