Justices to Consider Scope of Law Reducing Mandatory Sentences

The US Supreme Court agreed to consider whether prisoners being re-senteneced for gun-related violent crimes can benefit from a federal law that reduced mandatory minimums even though it was enacted after they were first sentenced.

In an order Tuesday, the court consolidated two appeals from prisoners who argue the First Step Act should apply to their re-sentencing since the law was passed after the initial sentences they received for bank robbery were tossed out.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in both cases rejected the prisoners’ arguments that the First Step Act’s reach encompasses prior offenses for ...