The Supreme Court ruled against a prisoner who had been granted compassionate release, finding that the statute he used to challenge his sentence does not apply to his case.
The 8-1 decision in Fernandez v. United States centered on the difference between two legal paths: compassionate release and habeas corpus.
Compassionate release allows a prisoner to seek freedom or a reduced sentence for extraordinary and compelling reasons. Habeas corpus is the route prisoners use when challenging the validity of their conviction or sentence.
In the case of Joe Fernandez, a New York man serving a life sentence, the justices said he should have used the second path.
Fernandez had initially been granted compassionate release after a judge raised concerns about his sentence. But the Supreme Court ruled that those concerns belonged under habeas corpus, not the compassionate-release statute.
During arguments, several justices appeared uneasy with allowing judges to consider issues under compassionate release that also fall under habeas law.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote the majority opinion, siding with the U.S. government and throwing out Fernandez’s appeal.
“The supposed invalidity of a conviction is not among the ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons’ that justify compassionate release,” Barrett wrote.
Supreme Court Opinions: Fernandez v. United States. Can convicted criminals get a second attempt to undo their conviction through the First Step Act’s intended compassionate release section. No, explains Justice Barrett. 8-1 decision and right. Justice Jackson solo dissents pic.twitter.com/AqdsiIvfb0
— Eric W. (@EWess92) May 28, 2026
The ruling draws a firm line between asking for mercy because of extraordinary circumstances and challenging whether a conviction or sentence is legally valid.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the lone dissenting vote on the nine-member court.
Jackson argued that the ruling limits the flexibility of compassionate release, which she said was meant to give courts room to provide relief in unusual cases.
She said she would have sent Fernandez’s case back for another review.
“By its terms, the compassionate-release statute is flexible, permitting sentence reductions for ‘extraordinary and compelling reasons,’” Jackson wrote. “The breadth of this language is no accident: It reflects Congress’s intent to preserve some of the traditional discretion afforded to district courts to ensure just treatment of defendants in criminal cases.”
But the majority was not persuaded.
With the ruling, Fernandez cannot use compassionate release to argue that his conviction is invalid. If he wants to continue making that claim, he will have to pursue it through a different statute.
The decision makes clear that compassionate release is not a catch-all option for prisoners looking to challenge their convictions. For those claims, the court said, habeas corpus remains the proper route.
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