Judge John D. Bates — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge John D. Bates sits in the District of Columbia (DDC) and granted a downward variance in 53 of 76 federal sentencings (69.7%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge John D. Bates, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge John D. Bates grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (53 below-guideline cases out of 76 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities16-37.0%
  2. 2.Remorse14-38.3%
  3. 3.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)14-29.4%
  4. 4.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)11-37.2%
  5. 5.Acceptance of responsibility11-34.1%
  6. 6.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants10-34.4%
  7. 7.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)7-35.9%
  8. 8.(5K2.20) Aberrant Behavior6-52.2%
  9. 9.General Guideline Adequacy Issues (aggregated reason)6-46.5%
  10. 10.Pursuant to a NONbinding (or unknown type) plea agreement6-41.1%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge John D. Bates

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge John D. Bates's 69 Zone D sentencings, 50 (72.5%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended69 cases
  • Within range
    18(26.1%)
  • Below range
    50(72.5%)
    avg −30.1% below min
  • Above range
    1(1.4%)
    avg +11.1% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge John D. Bates?

Want to see what those 53 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 John D. Bates's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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