Judge Charles R. Breyer — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer sits in the Northern District of California (NDCA) and granted a downward variance in 219 of 296 federal sentencings (74.0%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Charles R. Breyer, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Charles R. Breyer grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (219 below-guideline cases out of 296 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)53-47.3%
  2. 2.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities41-49.5%
  3. 3.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse33-46.4%
  4. 4.Rehabilitation28-53.3%
  5. 5.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)27-49.5%
  6. 6.Lack of Youthful Guidance24-44.4%
  7. 7.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)23-61.9%
  8. 8.Mule/Role in the offense20-65.8%
  9. 9.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants20-36.8%
  10. 10.(5H1.4) Physical condition18-57.6%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Charles R. Breyer

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Charles R. Breyer's 252 Zone D sentencings, 198 (78.6%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended252 cases
  • Within range
    48(19.0%)
  • Below range
    198(78.6%)
    avg −44.3% below min
  • Above range
    6(2.4%)
    avg +17.7% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Charles R. Breyer?

Want to see what those 219 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 Charles R. Breyer's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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