Finding Balance: Supreme Court Weighs Mandatory Gun Sentences in Brown v. United States Oral Argument

The Supreme Court heard arguments on which drug offenses trigger mandatory 15-year sentences under the Armed Career Criminal Act. The justices considered three options for determining which drug offenses count under the law, which refers to a schedule of controlled substances overseen by the attorney general. The middle ground option, using the schedule in place when the defendant committed the federal gun crime, seemed to gain traction among the justices. The case raises questions about the application of mandatory sentences and the impact of changes to the drug schedule on sentencing.