Supreme Court won't extend reduced charges to low-level drug offenders

[Jose Garcia]

Source: NBC News

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a revised federal law does not allow prison inmates to seek a reduction in their sentences for possessing small amounts of crack cocaine.

The court said the wording of one of the rare bipartisan achievements of the Trump administration, the First Step Act, which made sweeping changes to the criminal justice system, means that the law does not apply to low-level offenders, even though supporters said they intended it to do so.

Its decision was unanimous.

During the crack cocaine epidemic of the 1980s, Congress passed a law providing that someone arrested for possessing a small amount of crack cocaine would receive the same sentence as someone who possessed 100 times that amount of powder cocaine.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-won-t-extend-reduced-charges-low-level-drug-n1270675

[WhiteTara]

1. Just like the GQP to screw up the language

of a bill so that it doesn't help those it intends to help. They're also too egotistic to ask for legal help in writing the bill.

[jimfields33]

2. Another unanimous decision

Quite a few lately.

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Yes, it's like they're saying "be more specific when writing laws"

Bigger cases must be more judicial fun than nuances

[former9thward]

6. This bill was supported and written by both parties.

In the House the vote was 358-36. In the Senate it was unanimous.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Step_Act

[secondwind]

3. Trump's cruelty knows no bounds...................

[former9thward]

7. This was a bipartisan bill.

Pelosi Statement on House Passage of Criminal Justice Reform Bill

Dec 20, 2018 Press Release
Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi issued this statement after the House passed a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill:

“The bipartisan First Step Act will bring hope, healing and renewal to thousands of lives.

“Members of Congress came together to write a bill that reduces the impact of draconian mandatory minimums, and makes progress to address discriminatory sentencing laws. Its positive prison reforms for pregnant prisoners, juvenile prisoners, prisoners with substance abuse disorders and other low-risk inmates respect the spark of divinity within us all that makes us all worthy of respect.

“On behalf of House Democrats, I am grateful to Members on both sides of the aisle for their tireless, persistent work to pass this much-needed bill. This legislation is a meaningful start, and House Democrats will continue to seek additional criminal justice reforms.”

https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/pelosi-statement-on-house-passage-of-criminal-justice-reform-bill

[Polybius]

9. He signed the bill into law

In this case, it was the Supreme Court.

[dalton99a]

4. Nobody in Congress could have foreseen this?

The case was brought by a Florida man, Tarahrick Terry, who was sentenced to 15-and-a-half years in prison for possessing 3.9 grams of crack cocaine — about the same weight as four paper clips. His sentence under the old law was the same as what someone would have received for possessing nearly a pound of powder cocaine.

Terry sought to have his sentence reduced under the First Step Act, but the lower courts said the law's retroactivity provision applied only to two other categories of sentences for larger amounts of the drug, not to low-level offenses.

[mountain grammy]

11. Exactly!

They should have recognized this. It's unacceptable since it's the sentencing for low level offenses that's really egregious.

[barbtries]

8. the family destruction law.

hmm

[Danascot]

10. It's likely the majority of those in prison for small amounts of crack

are African-American. In which case the GQP isn't going to lift a finger to revise the law.

[IbogaProject]

12. smells like they only wanted to release pushers

this smells like they only wanted to release pushers not the actual victims the low level users. Now there will be a flood of dealers to push hard drugs, hello crimewave.