"Supreme Court Upholds Limits on Reduced Sentencing for Low-Level Drug Offenders"

The Supreme Court ruled that low-level drug dealers convicted of distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine are ineligible for shortened prison terms under the 2018 First Step Act, settling a dispute over the law's "safety valve" provision. The 6-3 decision means thousands more people in the federal criminal justice system will be denied a chance at a reduced sentence, with nearly 6,000 individuals convicted of drug trafficking in the 2021 budget year alone potentially affected. The ruling hinged on the interpretation of the provision's language and criteria for allowing judges to forgo mandatory minimum sentences, leaving some hopeful for potential legislative changes in the future.