United States v. Ramiro Montoya-De La Cruz

JAMES E. GRAVES, JR., Circuit Judge,

dissenting:

Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 32 requires the district court to “address the defendant personally in order to permit the defendant to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence” before imposing sentence. Fed. R. Crim. P. 32 (i) (4) (A) (ii). Rule 32 guarantees the defendant’s right to allocution, “an important, highly respected right” that “is deeply rooted in our legal tradition.” United States v. Reyna, 358 F.3d 344, 349 (5th Cir. 2004) (en banc). Indeed, the right has been enshrined in our jurisprudence since before the…