We post news and comment on federal criminal justice issues, focused primarily on trial and post-conviction matters, legislative initiatives, and sentencing issues.

TRUMP SOUR ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

When President Trump started planning his reelection last spring, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner told his father-in-law he should highlight last year’s passage of the First Step Act. Kushner reiterated the positive selling points of that bill, but Trump wasn’t interested. He complained and told Kushner he didn’t think his core voters would care much about a bipartisan deal.

Trump “is telling people he’s mad” at how criminal justice reform has panned out, according to a person close to the president. “He’s saying that he’s furious at Jared because Jared is telling him he’s going to get all these votes of all these felons.”

Politico reported that unidentified White House officials congressional aides and friends of the president, say that Trump no longer sees criminal justice reform as a résumé booster heading into 2020.

Ohio State University law professor Doug Berman said in his Sentencing Law and Policy blog last Tuesday that Trump’s change of heart “portends some dark clouds for federal criminal justice reform efforts in the months and perhaps years ahead.” But one White House official said, “It would be difficult to say it’s a change of heart. I don’t think his heart was ever really in it.”

Politico, Trump snubs Jared Kushner’s signature accomplishment (Sept. 24)

Sentencing Law and Policy, Prez Trump has reportedly soured on politics of criminal justice reform after FIRST STEP Act achievement (Sept 24)

– Thomas L. Root