Judge John Joseph Tharp — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge John Joseph Tharp sits in the Northern District of Illinois (NDIL) and granted a downward variance in 16 of 18 federal sentencings (88.9%) from FY2014–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge John Joseph Tharp, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge John Joseph Tharp grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (16 below-guideline cases out of 18 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)9-39.0%
  2. 2.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)6-28.5%
  3. 3.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities5-47.0%
  4. 4.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)3-76.2%
  5. 5.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse3-52.4%
  6. 6.(5K2.0) General aggravating or mitigating circumstance3-50.6%
  7. 7.Conduct on Release/Bond/Supervision3-47.2%
  8. 8.Acceptance of responsibility3-41.2%
  9. 9.Low Likelihood of Recidivism3-24.8%
  10. 10.Early Plea3-23.2%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge John Joseph Tharp

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge John Joseph Tharp's 15 Zone D sentencings, 13 (86.7%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended15 cases
  • Within range
    2(13.3%)
  • Below range
    13(86.7%)
    avg −36.5% below min
  • Above range
    0(0.0%)

Need case-level analysis for Judge John Joseph Tharp?

Want to see what those 16 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 Joseph Tharp's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

EXPLORE JUST METRICS →