Political Quotes

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to support H.R. 1621, the Prohibiting Punishment of Acquitted Conduct Act, which offers a solution to a long- identified problem within our criminal justice system. This bill provides necessary reform to current Federal sentencing practice that allows judges to sentence defendants based on conduct for which a jury has found them not guilty. The Sixth Amendment to the Constitution provides that anyone accused of a crime shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public jury trial, while the Fifth Amendment provides that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. These provisions mean that the government is bound to move each and every element of an offense for which a defendant is charged beyond a reasonable doubt during a jury trial, or that defendant must admit each element of an offense to support a plea of guilty. Absent that, those offenses are not found guilty, if you will, to the individual. Notwithstanding this constitutional obligation, Federal judges routinely nullify not guilty verdicts rendered by juries and sentence defendants to significantly higher penalties based on acquitted conduct. In its current form, 18 U.S.C.…”