United States v. Grant

The question is whether in allowing for departure from mandatory minimum sentences for defendants whose substantial assistance is recognized by the government, Congress intended that the sentencing court be restricted to consideration of only the assistance given, foreclosing consideration of other unrelated circumstances or characteristics of the offense or the defendant.

I

The majority concludes that consideration of other factors is permissible only in evaluating whether the defendant should receive the full sentence reduction that would otherwise correspond to the assistance. As conceded by…