Rutherford v. United States · ¶18
When Congress passed the First Step Act in 2018, it amended the compassionate release provision. While it left the “extraordinary and compelling” standard untouched, it opened a new procedural route for seeking a reduction. Originally, only the Bureau of Prisons could ask a district court to reduce a prisoner's sentence. The Act gives the prisoner greater agency: He may request that the Bureau file a motion on his behalf, and, if it declines or fails to do so within 30 days, he may file a motion himself. 18 U. S. C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). The Act also obligates the Bureau to take certain steps when a prisoner is diagnosed with a terminal illness or is mentally or physically unable to file his own motion. §§ 3582(d)(2)(A)–(B). For example, the Bureau must inform “the defendant's attorney, partner, and family members” about the defendant's condition and that they can file a sentence-reduction…Read in context ›
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