When
sentencing criminals with multiple convictions of assault against law
enforcement, Judge Jackson repeatedly sentences defendants lower than
the designated Sentencing Guidelines
range.
Judge Jackson sentenced a defendant who had been
convicted of assaulting a police officer for a third time to a term below the guidelines and lower
than what was requested by both the government and the defense counsel.
In
U.S.
v. Jenkins, No. 14-cr-0003 (D.D.C),
the defendant pleaded guilty to his third conviction of assaulting a law enforcement officer.
The
government requested the defendant be locked away for close to 30 months.
The defendant requested 21 months.
Judge
Jackson sentenced the defendant to only 18 months.
Judge Jackson sentenced an unregistered sex offender, who
had multiple
prior convictions including assaulting a
police officer and sexual assault years against his 13-year old niece, to half of the
term requested by the
government.
In
U.S. v. Weekes, No. 13-cr-0187 (D.D.C.), the government requested a
24-month sentence, already at the low end of the advisory guideline range.
The
defendant had prior convictions including assault on a police officer, sexual assault
on a minor, forgery, larceny and false identification to police.
Despite
his lengthy criminal history,
Judge Jackson sentenced him to a term of 12 months, half of
what was originally requested, and
below the sentencing guidelines.
Judge Jackson disregarded defendant’s dangerous criminal record and sentenced him to the low end of the recommended time.
In
U.S.
v. Adams, No.13-cr-0261
(D.D.C.), the government requested a 39-month sentence for a defendant who
pleaded guilty to illegally selling drugs and guns.
The
defendant had a loaded criminal history including tampering with evidence, assault on a police
officer, second degree theft and possession of a controlled substance.
Judge
Jackson sentenced the defendant to his requested term of 33 months.
Although Judge Jackson acknowledged the danger a
defendant created for the U.S. military after he illegally sent
military
equipment to Hong Kong, she
gave a significantly
reduced sentence.
In
U.S.
v. Koyshman, No. 19–cr-0267
(D.D.C.), the government requested a 52-month sentence for a defendant who
pleaded guilty to illegally sending night vision goggles and handheld
radios overseas, potentially endangering the lives of military personnel
and compromising U.S. military intelligence.
The
recommended sentence was at the midpoint of the sentencing guidelines
range.
Though
she notes that “such crimes unquestionably
warrant significant punishment,”
Judge Jackson sentenced him to 12 months and one day.
Before serving as a judge, Judge Jackson represented a
criminal who was convicted of assaulting a federal prosecutor with a
hammer and who later had his
supervised release revoked after refusing to participate in court-ordered
mental-health evaluation.
Judge
Jackson argued that the defendant’s supervisory release should not have
been linked to participation in the mental-health evaluation. The D.C.
Circuit found that Judge Jackson’s claim had “no merit” and was “amply
refuted by the hearing transcript.”
On the flip side, Judge Jackson is harsh toward
law enforcement facing lawsuits.
In
Patterson v. U.S., 999 F. Supp. 2d 300 (D.D.C. 2013), Judge Jackson denied officers’ motions to dismiss a plaintiff’s Bivens claims when he directed his profanity at a public
protest toward the police. She denied qualified immunity.
In
Robinson v. Farley, 264 F. Suppl. 3d 154 (D.D.C. 2017), Judge Jackson denied the officer’s motion to dismiss the case even
after the plaintiff could not
identify the 39 police officers he was accusing of excessive force.
While sentencing known criminals to shortened
time served, Judge Jackson harshly
punishes law enforcement for
first-time charges.
In
U.S.
v. Fleming, No. 14–cr-0217,
ECF No. 22 at n.2 (2015), Fleming worked as a correctional officer who was
caught smuggling contraband like cell phones and cigarettes to inmates. Despite
rejecting
career offender enhancement in
a number of cases, (U.S. v. Hall, U.S. v. Dunlap, U.S. v. Murphy), Judge Jackson accepted arguments to enhance Fleming’s sentence to 27 months.
