Supreme Court Unclear Who Should Benefit From Reduced Sentences

US Supreme Court justices struggled with how broadly to read a federal law meant to reduce harsh criminal sentences, with one saying the case was “really close.”

The question at the heart of arguments on Monday was whether the First Step Act’s reduced mandatory minimums apply to defendants originally sentenced before the law was enacted but later had the punishment vacated, or only to those who’ve never been sentenced.

The answer turns on the meaning of “imposed,” as the law applies retroactively to those who committed a crime before it came into force in 2018 but who haven’t yet been ...