US Sentencing Commission meeting this week to consider guideline amendments

As detailed in this official notice, "a public meeting of the [US Sentencing] Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at 2:00 p.m." And on the official agenda is "Possible Votes to Publish Proposed Guideline Amendments and Issues for Comment."

As reported in this prior post from last summer, the USSC had a lot of high-profile matters on its list of possible priority policy issues for this year's amendment cycle, including continued reviews of the drug and kiddie porn guidelines.   I am not expecting to see any blockbuster amendments being proposed this year, but one never knows.   But I am inclined to predict (and fear) that the USSC may be especially timid this year because of last fall's House hearing in which the Commission got a lot of grief from congressional Republicans.

A few recent related posts:

• US Sentencing Commission provides notice of proposed 2012 priorities
• "Should the USSC publish sentencing data for individual judges?"
• Witnesses identified for House hearing on post-Booker federal sentencing
• Early reactions to the (too) quick House hearing on post-Booker sentencing