The commission was created by the Sentencing Reform Act provisions of the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984. The constitutionality of the commission was challenged as a congressional encroachment on the power of the executive but upheld by the Supreme Court in Mistretta v. United States, .
Unlike many special-purpose "study" commissions within the executive branch, Congress established the U.S. Sentencing Commission as a permanent, independent agency within the judicial branch. The seven voting members on the Commission are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and serve six-year terms. Commission members may be reappointed to further terms with the consent of the Senate. No more than three of the commissioners may be federal judges, and no more than four may belong to the same political party The United States Attorney General and the chair of the United States Parole Commission sit as nonvoting ex officio members of the Commission.
Current membership
The following table lists commissioners as of January 2007.| Member | Occupation | Date appointed |
|---|---|---|
| Ricardo H. Hinojosa (Chair) | Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas | June 26, 2003 |
| Ruben Castillo (Vice chair) | Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | November 12, 1999 |
| William K. Sessions III (Vice chair) | Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of Vermont | November 12, 1999 |
| John R. Steer (Vice chair) | Former general counsel, United States Sentencing Commission | November 12, 1999 |
| Dabney Friedrich (Commissioner) | Former White House Assistant Counsel | March 1, 2007 |
| Beryl A. Howell (Commissioner) | Managing Director, Stroz Friedberg, LLC | November 21, 2004 |
| Michael E. Horowitz (Commissioner) | Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft | June 26, 2003 |
| Benton J. Campbell (Ex-officio) | Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division | |
| Edward F. Reilly, Jr. (Ex-officio) | Chair, United States Parole Commission |
External links
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Last updated on Thursday July 17, 2008 at 09:48:38 PDT (GMT -0700)
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