United States v. Brown

I respectfully concur in the result proffered by the opinion of Judge Droney: I vote to affirm the judgment of the district court, concluding that the sentence imposed is procedurally and substantively reasonable. I write separately, however, to reflect on an aspect of these proceedings that I find troubling.

I have read and heard observations by many trial judges over the course of many years about the challenges inherent in imposing sentences. As articulated by my colleague Denny Chin:

Sentencing is perhaps the most important responsibility of a trial judge, and surely the most difficult.…