Judge Bernard A. Friedman — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman sits in the Eastern District of Michigan (EDMI) and granted a downward variance in 79 of 182 federal sentencings (43.4%) from FY2012–FY2024. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Bernard A. Friedman, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Bernard A. Friedman grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (79 below-guideline cases out of 182 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)13-46.8%
  2. 2.Provide Restitution to any victims of the offense10-73.6%
  3. 3.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants10-36.5%
  4. 4.Pursuant to a NONbinding (or unknown type) plea agreement7-43.2%
  5. 5.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities5-55.2%
  6. 6.Mule/Role in the offense4-79.9%
  7. 7.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)4-59.5%
  8. 8.(5H1.5) Previous employment record3-76.9%
  9. 9.Victim Impact3-71.9%
  10. 10.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)3-37.2%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Bernard A. Friedman

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Bernard A. Friedman's 142 Zone D sentencings, 67 (47.2%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended142 cases
  • Within range
    73(51.4%)
  • Below range
    67(47.2%)
    avg −46.1% below min
  • Above range
    2(1.4%)
    avg +5.6% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Bernard A. Friedman?

Want to see what those 79 below-guideline cases actually looked like? Just Metrics shows you the actual matched cases — same judge, same guideline chapter, same guideline range — and tells you what they did.

Just Metrics also surfaces Judge Bernard A. Friedman's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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