https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/22/durbin-defends-jackson-says-congress-has-failed-to-do-its-job-on-sentencing-guidelines-00019457
Durbin then referred to a case he mentioned earlier Tuesday involving federal Judge Sarah Pitlick of Missouri, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and whom Hawley backed. The Senate Judiciary chair noted that the judge’s sentence in the case was well below what was recommended by the guidelines.
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Hawley attempted to chime in, but Durbin asked to finish his statement. He then turned to the focus of Hawley’s line of questioning, the United States v. Hawkins case, in which Jackson sentenced the defendant to three months, a ruling below the prosecutor’s recommendation of two years.
“She faced a situation where she decided she would not follow the guidelines and took a sentence of less than half of what they recommended,” Durbin said of Pitlick. “We have created a situation because of our inattention and unwillingness to tackle an extremely controversial area in Congress and left it to the judges. And I think we have to accept some responsibility for that, senator.”
The Missouri Republican defended Pitlick for following the prosecutor’s recommendation in that case, adding that his concern with Jackson was that she didn’t follow the prosecutor’s recommendation or the sentencing guidelines in the Hawkins case.
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