Sentence Depends on the Judge’s Football Team? ⚖️

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]In one study, over 200 federal judges were given a set of 16 identical hypothetical criminal cases and asked to assign a sentence to each one. Every judge received the same information, but the sentences varied widely.

[00:00:15]For the same fraud case, one judge assigned 3 years. Another assigned 20.

[00:00:21]The average difference between two randomly selected judges on the same case was approximately 3 and 1/2 years of a person's life. Determined not by the facts of the case, but by which judge happened to be on duty that day.

[00:00:35]But the inconsistency doesn't stop between judges. Individual judges are inconsistent with themselves. The same judge, the same crime, different day, different outcome. Research shows sentences get longer on hot days >> [music] >> and harsher after the local football team loses.

[00:00:53]A judge who slept badly the night before may add years to someone's sentence without even knowing it.