Judge Mary A. McLaughlin
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence

District Court - Pennsylvania East
Program Area: Narcotics/Drugs

Show Details   Judge Compared
To District		 Compared
To U.S.
Latest Fiscal Year 12.0 - -
Previous Fiscal Year 60.8 -25.2% -11.5%
Past 5 Years 59.8 -26.4% -17.5%
Percent not reported where cases too few to provide
meaningful comparison.
Table 1: Current and 5 Year
Average Prison Sentence Comparison

For all cases disposed of in the current fiscal year (2012) that were credited to Judge Mary A. McLaughlin in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the average prison sentence was 12.0 months, when looking only at cases falling under the broad category of "Narcotics/Drugs". During the current fiscal year, Judge Mary A. McLaughlin has sentenced 4 defendants compared with 12 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.

Over the last five years, the average prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge McLaughlin was 59.8 months. This was 26.4% lower than the 81.2 months typical in Pennsylvania East and 17.5% lower than the 72.5 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge Mary A. McLaughlin sentenced 49 defendants during the past five years.

(CAUTION: The kinds of cases handled by individual judges influences statistical information about their sentences. It therefore is important to consider the breakdown of cases that each has handled, available below, when making judge-by-judge comparisons.)

Bar chart of start

Figure 1: Five Year Comparison of Average Prison Sentence
in Months

Figure 1 compares Judge McLaughlin's numbers to those for judges in this district and in the United States as a whole for cases of this type over the last five years.

During the last five years there were 26 other judges in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with information on convictions during that period. Average prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 41.6 months to 134.0 months, putting Judge McLaughlin's average prison sentence of 59.8 months at the lower end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole Eastern District of Pennsylvania during that time was 81.2 months.

Bar chart of label

Figure 2: Detailed Comparison among Judges for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Professional Biography

Born 1946 in Philadelphia, PA

Federal Judicial Service
Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Nominated by William J. Clinton on March 13, 2000, to a seat vacated by Marvin Katz; Confirmed by the Senate on May 24, 2000, and received commission on May 31, 2000.

Education:
Gwynedd-Mercy College, B.A., 1968
Bryn Mawr College, M.A., 1969
University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1976

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. Stanley Brotman, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1976-1977
Private practice, 1977-1980
Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Columbia, 1980-1984
Assistant professor, Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1984-1986
Private practice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1986-2000
Adjunct professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1988
Adjunct professor, Rutgers University School of Law, 1989
Chief counsel, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Government, Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Senate, 1995

Lead Investigative Agencies in Cases Handled

The lead investigative agency that referred cases disposed of by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin for the past five years was the Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration. It accounted for 59.2% of all cases.

Other agencies with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin over the past five years were: Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (18.4%), Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation (14.3%), Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) (6.1%).

Agency Judge District US  
Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration 59.2% 50.9% 48.3% More
Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement 18.4% 8.2% 18.3%  
Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation 14.3% 26.4% 11.3%  
Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) 6.1% 9.9% 6.6%  
Health and Human Services 2.0% 0.3% 0.2%  

Table 2: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Lead Charges in Cases Handled

The lead charge with the most cases disposed of by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin for the past five years was "21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy". It accounted for 49.0% of all cases.

Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Mary A. McLaughlin over the past five years were: "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (46.9%).

Lead Charge Judge District US  
21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy 49.0% 59.5% 36.4% More
21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 46.9% 32.8% 50.7% More
18 USC 1951 - Hobbs Act 2.0% 0.9% 0.1%  
21 USC 843 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts C 2.0% 0.7% 0.6%  

Table 3: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Number of Defendants in Judge Mary A. McLaughlin's Cases

Case Def. Sentence (Months) Sentencing Date Program Category  
1 1 30.00 09/25/12 Drugs-Drug Trafficking Details
2 1 0.01 03/30/12 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
3 1 6.00 02/02/12 Drugs-Drug Trafficking Details
4 1 12.03 11/29/11 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details

Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year