{"id":2609078,"date":"2026-06-01T12:42:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-takes-up-another-case-over-first-step-act-brought-by-inmate\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:44:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:44:36","slug":"supreme-court-takes-up-another-case-over-first-step-act-brought-by-inmate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-takes-up-another-case-over-first-step-act-brought-by-inmate\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court takes up another case over First Step Act brought by inmate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsupreme-court-takes-up-another-case-over-first-step-act-brought-by-inmate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2609078&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Supreme Court has agreed to hear **Maxwell v. Thomas**, a case examining how the **2018 First Step Act** allows inmates to seek faster transfers from prison to lower-security settings like **halfway houses**. The dispute centers on what legal process inmates can use to challenge the **time credits** they earn for good behavior and programming, particularly weather those challenges can be brought via a **habeas corpus** petition.  <\/p>\n<p>The petition was originally filed by inmate **William Maxwell** without a lawyer, though later briefs were submitted with attorney help. The Court is expected to hear the case between **October 2026 and April 2027**.  <\/p>\n<p>This declaration follows recent Supreme Court rulings involving the First Step Act, including a decision holding that certain changes to **mandatory minimum sentences** cannot be retroactively considered for **compassionate release** eligibility.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"203\">Supreme Court<\/a> added a case to its next term on Monday that addresses how the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/first-step-act\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4362\">First Step Act<\/a> applies to inmates seeking quicker transfers from prison to lower-security confinement, such as a halfway house, marking the latest instance of the justices reviewing the scope of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/supreme-court-takes-up-another-case-over-the-first-step-act-brought-by-inmate\/\" title=\"... takes up another ... over the First ... by ...\">2018 criminal justice reform law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The high court said it will hear the case <em>Maxwell v. Thomas<\/em> in its upcoming term. That case focuses on how applicants seeking to challenge the time credits they\u2019ve earned through good behavior via provisions in the law may do so in federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/courts\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"439\">court<\/a>. The First Step Act, signed into law in 2018, allows inmates to earn time credits for recidivism-reduction programming or productive activities, which can be used to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/set-up-cohen-accuses-alvin-bragg-letitia-james-of-coercing-him-to-turn-on-trump-6\/\" title=\"&#039;SET UP&#039;: Cohen Accuses Alvin Bragg, Letitia James of Coercing Him to Turn on Trump\">secure early release<\/a> from secure custody into halfway houses or home confinement.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4589108\/supreme-court-another-case-the-first-step-act-by-inmate\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court takes up another case over the First Step Act brought by inmate<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4588485\/trump-probably-lose-birthright-citizenship-case\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says he will \u2018probably\u2019 lose birthright citizenship case in rant against lawfare<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4585378\/supreme-court-death-row-inmate-jury-selection-racial-bias-claims\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Supreme Court sides with death row inmate over <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >jury selection racial bias claims<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petition to the Supreme Court was initially filed by William Maxwell, an inmate serving a 20-year sentence for racketeering, pro se, meaning he filed his petition without an attorney, marking a rare instance of the high court taking up a case filed by an inmate himself. Maxwell later had a lawyer file a reply brief on his behalf, however, and will likely have a lawyer argue before the justices when the case is heard.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question the justices will focus on is whether inmates may challenge the time credits via a habeas corpus petition, which is a legal challenge to their detention. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case sometime between October 2026 and April 2027.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision to take up another case regarding the First Step Act comes days after the high court issued a pair of rulings over the 2018 law and its ability to secure early release for inmates under its revised sentencing guidelines. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in <em>Rutherford v. United States<\/em> that changes to mandatory minimum sentences cannot be retroactively considered when examining whether inmates are eligible for compassionate release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4562772\/major-supreme-court-decisions-remainder-term\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4562772\">THE MAJOR SUPREME COURT DECISIONS REMAINING FOR THIS TERM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Supreme Court is expected to wrap up its current term later this month, when it finishes releasing opinions in the nearly two dozen remaining cases it heard arguments in earlier this term. The high court is next expected to issue opinions on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the high court\u2019s next term, which will begin in October, the justices have already taken up 11 cases and are expected to add dozens more to their docket in the coming months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Supreme Court case to judge how First Step Act helps inmates get quicker transfers to lower-security housing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2609079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26138777211363.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36352,80603,32275],"class_list":["post-2609078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-criminal-justice-reform","tag-first-step-act","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26138777211363.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2609078"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609078\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2609082,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609078\/revisions\/2609082"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2609079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2609078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2609078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2609078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}