Armed Career Criminal Act

U.S. Sentencing Commission Adopts Amendment to Definition of “Crime of Violence”

The United States Sentencing Commission unanimously voted recently to adopt an amendment relating to the definition of “crime of violence” in the Career Offender and other federal sentencing guidelines. This amendment was a result of a multi-year study prompted by concerns and problems relating to the definition of “crime of violence.” The amendment, which eliminates the so-called “residual clause,” was informed by the recent Supreme Court case, Johnson v. United States, issued in June 2015. In Johnson, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutionally vague a portion of the statutory definition of “violent felony” which is used in a similar