Rutherford v. United States

Summary

Justice Barrett, joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, held that sentencing disparities resulting from Congress’s nonretroactive reduction of §924(c) penalties cannot establish eligibility for compassionate release, either alone or combined with other factors. The Court also held the Sentencing Commission’s policy statement invalid insofar as it permits those disparities to establish eligibility, and affirmed the Third Circuit’s judgments. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, dissented, arguing that Congress delegated authority to the Commission and that its narrowly conditioned, individualized approach reasonably implements the statute without contradicting Congress’s decision against categorical retroactivity. Outside confirmation was unavailable; this analysis rests on the supplied opinion text.