Judge Rodney Smith — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith sits in the Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and granted a downward variance in 109 of 195 federal sentencings (55.9%) from FY2014–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Rodney Smith, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Rodney Smith grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (109 below-guideline cases out of 195 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)31-37.4%
  2. 2.Remorse24-47.3%
  3. 3.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)20-43.7%
  4. 4.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities18-56.6%
  5. 5.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)18-51.0%
  6. 6.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse14-24.6%
  7. 7.Acceptance of responsibility12-34.6%
  8. 8.Cooperation without motion (not §5K1.1) (aggregated reason)9-46.5%
  9. 9.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)8-40.7%
  10. 10.(5H1.6) Community ties6-45.8%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Rodney Smith

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Rodney Smith's 149 Zone D sentencings, 91 (61.1%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended149 cases
  • Within range
    50(33.6%)
  • Below range
    91(61.1%)
    avg −37.9% below min
  • Above range
    8(5.4%)
    avg +67.4% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Rodney Smith?

Want to see what those 109 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 Rodney Smith's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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