Rutherford v. United States · ¶56

Congress directed the United States Sentencing Commission, not this Court, to define what constitutes “extraordinary and compelling reasons” for incarcerated individuals to receive a sentence reduction under the compassionate- release statute. In 2023, the Commission exercised its statutory authority and issued a policy statement that permitted district courts to consider sentencing disparities created by changes in law. Such disparities, the Commission specified, should be considered rarely and only as part of an inquiry into whether the totality of the circumstances warrant a reduction in a person's sentence.

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