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Syllabus
in this case, on a factor that the Commission has expressly rejected as a ground for departure. An "incorrect application of the sentencing guidelines" occurs when the departure ground is prohibited either by the Guidelines or by general policy statements regarding the Guidelines' application, which the Commission is also authorized to promulgate, 28 U. S. C. § 994(a)(2). A policy statement is an authoritative guide to the meaning of the applicable Guideline, and an error in the statement's interpretation could lead to an incorrect determination that departure was appropriate. Pp. 199-201. (b) When a district court relies upon an improper ground in departing from a guideline range, a reviewing court may not affirm a sentence based solely on its independent assessment that the departure is reasonable under § 3742(f)(2). In order to give full effect to both § 3742(f)(1) and § 3742(f)(2), the reviewing court must conduct separate inquiries under each provision to determine whether a remand is required. It may not focus on one provision to the exclusion of the other. Pp. 201-202. (c) Williams' argument that a remand is automatically required under § 3742(f)(1) in order to rectify any "incorrect application" of the Guidelines is rejected. A remand is required only if a sentence is "imposed as a result of an incorrect application" of the Guidelines, i. e., if the sentence would have been different but for the district court's error. The party challenging the sentence bears the initial burden of showing that the district court relied upon an invalid factor at sentencing, but not the burden of proving that the invalid factor was determinative in the sentencing decision. Rather, once the court of appeals finds that the district court misapplied the Guidelines, a remand is appropriate unless the reviewing court determines that the error was harmless. Pp. 202-203. (d) If the court of appeals determines that a remand is not required under § 3742(f)(1), it may affirm the sentence as long as it is also satisfied that the departure is reasonable under § 3742(f)(2). The reasonableness determination looks to the amount and extent of the departure in light of the grounds for departing. In assessing reasonableness, a court must examine the factors to be considered in imposing a sentence under the Guidelines and the district court's stated reasons for the sentence's imposition. § 3742(e). A sentence can be "reasonable" even if some of the district court's reasons justifying departure are invalid, provided the remaining reasons are sufficient to justify the departure's magnitude. Pp. 203-204. (e) The limited appellate review of sentencing decisions does not alter the traditional deference a court of appeals owes to a district court's exercise of its sentencing discretion, and the selection of the ap-
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