Fernandez v. United States · ¶91

An innocent man stuck in prison for life: Can there be a more “extraordinary and compelling” reason to shorten a prison sentence than that? And is there any logical reason to believe that Congress meant to prohibit Paul from petitioning the court for such relief under § 3582(c)(1)(A)? Quite to the contrary, this manifest injustice would seem to be the quintessential situation in which the compassionate-release safety valve would apply. See Code Revision Hearings, at 1842–1843 (statement of Rep. Lungren) (expressing concern about federal prisoners “slip[ping] through the cracks”). But the majority's rule would forbid it, simply and solely because § 2255 exists.

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