Mistretta v. United States
Facts: Congress developed the United States Sentencing Commission as a part of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. The commission was intended to address the discrepancies in sentencing that occurred among federal court judges, by providing guidelines for all offenses going forward.
Statute: Sentencing Reform Act of 1984
Constitutional Provision: “delegation is sufficiently specific and detailed to meet constitutional requirements.”
Legal Question: Was the Act in violation of the Constitution’s nondelegation doctrine?
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Mistretta v. United States Brief".
Legal Reasoning: The Court was able to find that the Act in itself was valid. This was given the notion that despite the fact that Congress cannot delegate its power and legislative authority to any of the other Branches, the nondelegation doctrine does not interfere with Congress or prevent it from gaining assistance from other coordinate Branches. This is due to the notion that the test of validity is an “intelligible principle” and must be defined by the legislature where the agency of the authority that is delegated must subsequently adhere to directives that are specifically laid out to govern the authority that Congress possesses. There were four prominent reasons that the decision was reach as such on sentencing, that it serves to: reflect offense’s severity, encourage a general respect for the laws, provide instances of just and sufficient punishment, and afford deterrence that is adequate, providing the defendant with treatment to correct further criminal conduct. Various other factors were taken into consideration in establishing the guidelines set forth, such as the mental and emotional capacity of the offender, the status of the community and employment that they have.
Outcome: It was held that the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 could be referenced as a constitutional delegation of powers.
Doctrine: Doctrine does not provide sufficient grounds for Congress to be prevented from gaining assistance from the coordinate Branches.
