United States v. James E. Leathers, United States of America v. David Matthew Williams, III

In recent months this court has experienced a dramatic increase in appeals by persons detained pending trial from the imposition of bail bonds which they are financially unable to meet. 1 This phenomenon may or may not reflect a conscious recoil from the letter and spirit of the Bail Reform Act of 1966 2 on the part of those judges entrusted with its day-to-day adminstration. We can appreciate the disquiet a trial judge may feel on occasion in releasing a person charged with a dangerous crime because the Bail Act requires it, a feeling we have at time shared. We can also understand the…