Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes sits in the Central District of California (CDCA) and granted a downward variance in 25 of 33 federal sentencings (75.8%) from FY2022–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (25 below-guideline cases out of 33 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.Acceptance of responsibility21-60.5%
  2. 2.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)9-63.6%
  3. 3.Remorse9-47.3%
  4. 4.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)8-55.7%
  5. 5.Lack of Youthful Guidance8-50.5%
  6. 6.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse7-51.7%
  7. 7.First Step Act Safety Valve6-66.3%
  8. 8.Early Plea5-60.2%
  9. 9.Nonviolent Offense5-53.9%
  10. 10.(5H1.1) Age (Defendant's youth or old age)5-53.5%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes's 29 Zone D sentencings, 22 (75.9%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended29 cases
  • Within range
    7(24.1%)
  • Below range
    22(75.9%)
    avg −55.2% below min
  • Above range
    0(0.0%)

Need case-level analysis for Judge Sunshine Suzanne Sykes?

Want to see what those 25 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 Sunshine Suzanne Sykes's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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