Hon. Timothy K. Lewis Noted in Op-ed on New DOJ Guidelines

In a CNN op-ed, “Sessions’ sentencing plan would ruin lives,” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) denounced Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ instructions to prosecutors to charge suspects with the most serious provable offenses, including those that carry mandatory minimums. He urged Congress to pass bipartisan legislation allowing judges to have discretion in sentencing. To illustrate the negative effects of mandatory minimums, Senator Paul included an anecdote from the Honorable Timothy K. Lewis, who previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Because of mandatory minimum sentences, Judge Lewis once had to send a 19-year old first-time offender to prison for 10 years for conspiracy because he was in a car where drugs were found. Prior to his arrest, the young man was going to be the first member of his family to go to college.

Judge Lewis has been an advocate for equal justice throughout his career. He is a member of the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness, which addresses inequities in Pennsylvania’s court system. He also serves as co-chair of the National Committee on the Right to Counsel, a bipartisan committee charged with reviewing the indigent defense system throughout the nation and creating consensus recommendations for necessary reforms. He serves on the boards of the American Constitution Society (ACS) and the Constitution Project, and he speaks throughout the country on issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.