Judge Maxine M. Chesney — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Maxine M. Chesney sits in the Northern District of California (NDCA) and granted a downward variance in 36 of 65 federal sentencings (55.4%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Maxine M. Chesney, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Maxine M. Chesney grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (36 below-guideline cases out of 65 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)9-27.4%
  2. 2.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse8-52.2%
  3. 3.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)6-44.4%
  4. 4.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities6-30.8%
  5. 5.Remorse5-52.7%
  6. 6.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)5-25.8%
  7. 7.Acceptance of responsibility5-24.2%
  8. 8.Provide Restitution to any victims of the offense4-49.8%
  9. 9.(5H1.4) Physical condition4-37.1%
  10. 10.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants4-36.2%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Maxine M. Chesney

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Maxine M. Chesney's 60 Zone D sentencings, 35 (58.3%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended60 cases
  • Within range
    23(38.3%)
  • Below range
    35(58.3%)
    avg −35.1% below min
  • Above range
    2(3.3%)
    avg +20.2% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Maxine M. Chesney?

Want to see what those 36 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 Maxine M. Chesney's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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