Court: U.S. sentencing rules must be changed

[CornField]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6816943/

Juries should decide if longer sentence merited, justices rule

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that federal judges have been improperly adding time to criminals' sentences, a decision that puts in doubt longtime sentencing rules.

The court, on a 5-4 vote, said that its ruling last June that juries — not judges — should consider factors that can add years to defendants' prison sentences applies as well to the 17-year-old federal guideline system.