Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. sits in the Western District of North Carolina (WDNC) and granted a downward variance in 258 of 669 federal sentencings (38.6%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr., including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (258 below-guideline cases out of 669 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)78-30.1%
  2. 2.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)62-32.8%
  3. 3.Cooperation without motion (not §5K1.1) (aggregated reason)36-33.6%
  4. 4.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities29-48.8%
  5. 5.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants23-32.9%
  6. 6.Remorse20-41.5%
  7. 7.(5H1.4) Physical condition19-51.1%
  8. 8.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)18-37.4%
  9. 9.(5K2.0) General aggravating or mitigating circumstance16-32.0%
  10. 10.Mule/Role in the offense14-43.6%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr.

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr.'s 566 Zone D sentencings, 219 (38.7%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended566 cases
  • Within range
    337(59.5%)
  • Below range
    219(38.7%)
    avg −31.3% below min
  • Above range
    10(1.8%)
    avg +53.5% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr.?

Want to see what those 258 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 Max O. Cogburn Jr.'s trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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