Eastern Washington vs. Montana

What This Eastern Washington vs. Montana Comparison Reveals

In FY2024, the Eastern Washington District (9th Circuit) handled 382 federal sentencings with an average imposed term of 69.1 months, while the Montana District (9th Circuit) handled 1,696 cases at an average of 30.3 months. That is a 38.8-month gap - the Eastern District sentences longer on average. Case volume alone tells part of the story: Montana processed roughly 4.4× more defendants than Eastern, which affects guideline compliance patterns and the mix of offenses each court sees.

Guideline compliance diverges as well. Among cases with a determinable guideline range, Eastern Washington sentenced 29% within the range, 5% above, and 66% below. In Montana, the corresponding figures were 38% within, 3% above, and 58% below. Guilty-plea rates ran at 96% vs. 77%, and prison-sentence rates at 89% vs. 90% respectively, metrics that capture both charging practice and judicial discretion across the two courts.

Set against the nationwide benchmark for the same offense mix, Eastern Washington ran a disparity of -11.9% and Montana ran -11.2%. That comparison adjusts for the offense mix each district actually handles, so it isolates court-level patterns from pure caseload composition. Readers should still treat these as aggregate descriptive statistics, individual cases turn on criminal history, specific guideline adjustments, cooperation agreements, and statutory mandatory minimums that the district averages cannot resolve. This data is presented for research and educational purposes only and is not legal advice.