Judge David M. Lawson — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson sits in the Eastern District of Michigan (EDMI) and granted a downward variance in 134 of 233 federal sentencings (57.5%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge David M. Lawson, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge David M. Lawson grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (134 below-guideline cases out of 233 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)33-50.8%
  2. 2.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities23-50.3%
  3. 3.Mule/Role in the offense17-55.2%
  4. 4.(5H1.5) Previous employment record17-46.5%
  5. 5.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)16-54.5%
  6. 6.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)14-43.6%
  7. 7.Provide Restitution to any victims of the offense11-80.7%
  8. 8.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants9-47.1%
  9. 9.(5H1.6) Community ties8-67.7%
  10. 10.Low Likelihood of Recidivism8-63.5%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge David M. Lawson

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge David M. Lawson's 183 Zone D sentencings, 119 (65.0%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended183 cases
  • Within range
    58(31.7%)
  • Below range
    119(65.0%)
    avg −39.8% below min
  • Above range
    6(3.3%)
    avg +14.7% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge David M. Lawson?

Want to see what those 134 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 M. Lawson's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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