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504:, regardless of any statutory minimum sentences. Criteria for qualification are listed in § 3553(f)(1) through (5). Subsections (f)(2) through (f)(4) focus on the crime for which the defendant will be sentences, subsection (f)(5) focuses on the defendant's cooperation with the government, and subsection (f)(1) focuses on the defendant's prior criminal record. This subsection states that courts must impose sentences pursuant to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines if it finds that:
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of fifteen years, unless he qualified for safety valve relief. Neither
Pulsifer nor the United States disputed that Pulsifer met the requirements of § 3553(f)(2) through (f)(5). Turning to (f)(1), it is also undisputed that Pulsifer's prior criminal record triggers subsections (A) and (B), but that
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Whether a defendant satisfies the criteria in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(f)(1) as amended by the First Step Act of 2018 in order to qualify for the federal drug-sentencing “safety valve” provision so long as he does not have (a) more than four criminal history points, (b) a three-point offense, and (c) a
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The federal sentencing statute, 18 U.S.C. 3553, contains a provision known as a "safety valve". The safety valve, located at § 3553(f), requires the trial courts to sentence qualifying defendants according to the
614:. Oral arguments were heard on October 2, 2023. The case was argued by Shay Dvoretzky, on behalf of Pulsifer, and Frederick Liu, from the Solicitor General’s office on behalf of the United States.
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subsection (C) is not triggered. At sentencing, Pulsifer argued that he is eligible for safety valve relief because his prior conduct does not trigger (A), (B),
513:(A) more than 4 criminal history points, excluding any criminal history points resulting from a 1–point offense, as determined under the sentencing guidelines;
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two-point offense, or whether the defendant satisfies the criteria so long as he does not have (a), (b), or (c).
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A criminal defendant facing a mandatory minimum sentence is eligible for safety-valve relief under
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553:(C). The District Court disagreed, saying that a defendant whose prior record triggers (A), (B),
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only if the defendant satisfies each of the provision’s three conditions.
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personal reflection, personal essay, or argumentative essay
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to one count of distributing at least fifty grams of
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557:(C) is not eligible for safety valve relief. The
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468:, (Docket No. 22-340), is a decision of the
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