University of Utah law professor Carissa Hessick available to talk about U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Johnson v. United States
In Johnson v. United States, the issue the court examined was whether a section of the Armed Career Criminal Act, which imposes a 15 year mandatory minimum on certain felons who are in possession of a firearm, is unconstitutionally vague. The high court ruled Friday sided with the defendant in the case, Samuel James Johnson, by striking down part of a federal law that is intended keep people convicted of repeated violent crimes in prison longer.The justices ruled that phrasing in the Armed Career Criminal Act defining what crimes make a defendant eligible for a longer prison term is too vague. Johnson pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges in 2012 and was sentenced to 15 years in prison — five more than he otherwise would have received — because of his prior convictions. Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the S.J. Quinney College of Law, is available to offer legal perspective on the ruling. Hessick is an expert on criminal sentencing, a former Harvard Climenko Fellow, and a graduate of Yale Law School. She has previously written commentary on the Johnson case, and she has been invited to speak and write on the case on several occasions. She is prepared to comment on the case, including on its potential impact on gun rights and on how the case factors into Justice Scalia’s recent decisions in favor of criminal defendants. Hessick has previously provided commentary for several national media outlets, including the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal.
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