Judge Colleen Rae Lawless — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Colleen Rae Lawless sits in the Central District of Illinois (CDIL) and granted a downward variance in 44 of 66 federal sentencings (66.7%) from FY2021–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Colleen Rae Lawless, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Colleen Rae Lawless grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (44 below-guideline cases out of 66 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)22-49.7%
  2. 2.Lack of Youthful Guidance19-43.6%
  3. 3.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities18-55.3%
  4. 4.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse17-49.0%
  5. 5.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)17-38.7%
  6. 6.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)15-48.7%
  7. 7.(5H1.5) Previous employment record10-76.5%
  8. 8.(5K2.0) General aggravating or mitigating circumstance9-44.0%
  9. 9.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)6-34.4%
  10. 10.Conduct on Release/Bond/Supervision5-72.6%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Colleen Rae Lawless

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Colleen Rae Lawless's 56 Zone D sentencings, 35 (62.5%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended56 cases
  • Within range
    18(32.1%)
  • Below range
    35(62.5%)
    avg −36.2% below min
  • Above range
    3(5.4%)
    avg +75.0% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Colleen Rae Lawless?

Want to see what those 44 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 Colleen Rae Lawless's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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