Blakely v. Washington

In Blakely v. Washington, 542 U.S. 296 (2004), the U.S. Supreme Court held that facts, other than a prior conviction, supporting a sentence above the standard sentencing range in a legislatively prescribed sentencing guidelines system must be found be a jury and proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case concerned a state criminal proceeding. The U.S. Supreme Court extended this Blakely rule to the federal Sentencing Guidelines in United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005).