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Concepcion v. United States

Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
20-1650 1st Cir. Jan 19, 2022 Jun 27, 2022 5-4 Sotomayor OT 2021

Holding: Section 404(b) of the First Step Act of 2018 allows district courts to consider intervening changes of law or fact in exercising their discretion to reduce a sentence.

Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Sotomayor on June 27, 2022. Justice Kavanaugh filed a dissenting opinion, in which Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Alito and Barrett joined.

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
05/24/2021Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due June 25, 2021)
06/21/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response from June 25, 2021 to July 26, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
06/22/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including July 26, 2021.
07/19/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 26, 2021 to August 25, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
07/20/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including August 25, 2021.
08/25/2021Brief of respondent United States of America in opposition filed.
09/08/2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 9/27/2021.
09/09/2021Reply of petitioner Carlos Concepcion filed. (Distributed)
09/30/2021Petition GRANTED.
10/22/2021Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Carlos Concepcion.
11/01/2021Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED.
11/15/2021Brief of petitioner Carlos Concepcion filed.
11/17/2021ARGUMENT SET FOR Wednesday, January 19, 2022.
11/17/2021Record requested from the U.S.C.A. 1st Circuit.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of Drug Policy Alliance and The Law Enforcement Action Partnership filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of FAMM, The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the National Association of Federal Defenders filed.
11/22/2021Brief amicus curiae of Americans for Prosperity Foundation filed.
11/22/2021Brief amicus curiae of Constitutional Accountability Center filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of The Howard University School of Law Civil Rights Clinic; A New Way of Life Reentry Project filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of Dr. Karen Swanson, Dr. Byron R. Johnson, and Dr. Sung Joon Jang filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of Due Process Institute, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Massachusetts, and Southern Poverty Law Center filed.
11/22/2021Brief amicus curiae of American Conservative Union Foundation filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of The District of Columbia, et al., filed.
11/22/2021Brief amici curiae of Criminal Law Scholars filed.
12/06/2021The record from the U.S.C.A. 1st Circuit is electronic and located on Pacer.
12/06/2021The record from the U.S.D.C. Dist. of Massachusetts is electronic and located on Pacer, the Sealed Appendix is filed electronically.
12/14/2021CIRCULATED
12/15/2021Brief of respondent United States filed. (Distributed)
01/07/2022Reply of petitioner Carlos Concepcion filed. (Distributed)
01/19/2022Argued. For petitioner: Charles L. McCloud, Washington, D. C. For respondent: Matthew Guarnieri, Assistant to the Solicitor General, Department of Justice, Washington, D. C.
06/27/2022Judgment REVERSED and case REMANDED. Sotomayor, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Thomas, Breyer, Kagan, and Gorsuch, JJ., joined. Kavanaugh, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Roberts, C. J., and Alito and Barrett, JJ., joined.
07/29/2022JUDGMENT ISSUED