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Note: The Earthquake That Will Move Sentencing Discretion Back To The Judiciary? Blakely V. Washington And Sentencing Guidelines In Minnesota, Matthew R. Kuhn

William Mitchell Law Review

This Note begins by briefly laying out the evolution of criminal sentencing over the past century. It then surveys judicial interpretation of defendants’ Constitutional rights as they relate to sentencing procedure, focusing on the Court’s recent invalidation of Washington state’s sentencing guidelines in Blakely v. Washington. The note will then examine possible reforms to Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines pursuant to the Court’s decision. It will conclude by advocating that, despite the recent spotlight on Kansas’s sentencing guidelines, Minnesota’s best response to Blakely is to return some sentencing discretion to the judiciary by implementing a system of voluntary guidelines.