Judge John Fitzgerald Kness — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge John Fitzgerald Kness sits in the Northern District of Illinois (NDIL) and granted a downward variance in 7 of 13 federal sentencings (53.8%) from FY2022–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge John Fitzgerald Kness, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge John Fitzgerald Kness grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (7 below-guideline cases out of 13 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Low Likelihood of Recidivism4-26.4%
  2. 2.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)3-38.2%
  3. 3.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities3-21.9%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge John Fitzgerald Kness

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge John Fitzgerald Kness's 12 Zone D sentencings, 7 (58.3%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended12 cases
  • Within range
    5(41.7%)
  • Below range
    7(58.3%)
    avg −25.6% below min
  • Above range
    0(0.0%)

Need case-level analysis for Judge John Fitzgerald Kness?

Want to see what those 7 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 Fitzgerald Kness's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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