Statement of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Regarding Recent Publication by Institute for Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, Inc.

In our constitutional democracy, the court is the focal point of the entire criminal justice system; its mission is to serve the public by administering justice in a fair and impartial manner, by preserving each citizen’s constitutional rights, and by faithfully applying the rule of law in each individual case. The court’s ability to fulfill this mission – one that the Department of Justice shares with the court – depends on the public’s confidence in our judiciary as an institution. 

A recent paper by an organization called the Institute for the Quantitative Study of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity claims that two judges in our District – Judges C. Darnell Jones II and Timothy J. Savage – have engaged in discriminatory sentencing practices. Our Office is the most frequent litigant before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. We can report that Judges Jones and Savage treat defendants fairly and even handedly, balancing the complexities presented in each case without regard to race or ethnicity. 

Putting aside questions about the paper’s methodology and underlying data set, what we have seen over many years is wholly inconsistent with the paper’s assertions. Simply put, it’s conclusion is belied by our experience appearing before these judges.