Judge Susan Illston — Federal Sentencing Patterns

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston sits in the Northern District of California (NDCA) and granted a downward variance in 112 of 167 federal sentencings (67.1%) from FY2012–FY2025. This page shows aggregate sentencing patterns for Judge Susan Illston, including the most common reasons cited on the Statement of Reasons (SOR) for granting a downward variance.

Top reasons Judge Susan Illston grants downward variances

Reasons included across all guideline chapters (112 below-guideline cases out of 167 cases identified)

ReasonCasesAvg % Below Min
  1. 1.(5H1.6) Family ties and responsibilities29-46.4%
  2. 2.Criminal History Issues (aggregated reason)26-47.8%
  3. 3.Mule/Role in the offense14-55.9%
  4. 4.(5H1.5) Previous employment record13-60.5%
  5. 5.Lack of Youthful Guidance13-48.7%
  6. 6.Mental and Emotional Conditions (aggregated reason)12-45.1%
  7. 7.Rehabilitation11-63.7%
  8. 8.(5H1.4) Drug dependence and alcohol abuse11-47.0%
  9. 9.Reduce Disparity (aggregated reason)9-48.7%
  10. 10.Avoid unwarranted sentencing disparities among defendants9-45.0%

Zone D sentencing variance — Judge Susan Illston

Imprisonment-only recommended sentencing zone (offense level 14+ at any criminal history). Of Judge Susan Illston's 138 Zone D sentencings, 97 (70.3%) fell below range.

Zone D · imprisonment recommended138 cases
  • Within range
    36(26.1%)
  • Below range
    97(70.3%)
    avg −46.9% below min
  • Above range
    5(3.6%)
    avg +44.6% above max

Need case-level analysis for Judge Susan Illston?

Want to see what those 112 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 Susan Illston's trial tax (sentences after trial vs. plea) and the average §5K1.1 cooperation discount.

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