Judge David Briones — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge David Briones sits in the Western District of Texas (WDTX) and granted a downward variance in 243 of 953 federal sentencings (25.5%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge David Briones, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge David Briones grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (243 below-guideline cases out of 953 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)62-65.6%
  2. 2.Pursuant to a NONbinding (or unknown type) plea agreement40-50.1%
  3. 3.Proposed changes to the 2D1.1 drug quantity table15-37.5%
  4. 4.First immigration offense (aggregated reason)12-88.2%
  5. 5.First Step Act Safety Valve11-25.5%
  6. 6.(5K3.1) Early Disposition. Fast Track program9-40.6%
  7. 7.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities8-51.0%
  8. 8.Time Served7-35.9%
  9. 9.First immigration offense6-91.0%
  10. 10.Mitigating Factors Regarding Illegal Entry6-80.7%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge David Briones

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge David Briones's 539 Zone D sentencings, 123 (22.8%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended539 cases
  • Within range
    411(76.3%)
  • Below range
    123(22.8%)
    avg −36.2% below min
  • Above range
    5(0.9%)
    avg +56.5% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge David Briones?

Want to see what those 243 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 David Briones's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

EXPLORE JUST METRICS →