Judge Steven Douglas Merryday — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Steven Douglas Merryday sits in the Middle District of Florida (MDFL) and granted a downward variance in 158 of 442 federal sentencings (35.7%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Steven Douglas Merryday, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Steven Douglas Merryday grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (158 below-guideline cases out of 442 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)55-42.3%
  2. 2.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)39-29.5%
  3. 3.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)30-34.7%
  4. 4.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities23-49.7%
  5. 5.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse17-31.4%
  6. 6.(5H1.4) Physical condition15-55.6%
  7. 7.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)13-46.3%
  8. 8.Low Likelihood of Recidivism11-55.9%
  9. 9.(5K2.0) General aggravating or mitigating circumstance11-50.5%
  10. 10.Mule/Role in the offense11-30.5%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Steven Douglas Merryday

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Steven Douglas Merryday's 381 Zone D sentencings, 137 (36.0%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended381 cases
  • Within range
    228(59.8%)
  • Below range
    137(36.0%)
    avg −30.1% below min
  • Above range
    16(4.2%)
    avg +78.6% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Steven Douglas Merryday?

Want to see what those 158 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 Steven Douglas Merryday's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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