Paul, Weiss Wins Remand of Sentencing Rehearing in First Step Act Motion

Paul, Weiss won an appeal at the Eleventh Circuit on behalf of a pro bono client allowing him to argue his case for reduced sentencing under the First Step Act.

In remanding the case to district court for a rehearing on the merits, the appellate panel held that a defendant is not required to show that his advisory sentencing guideline range had been affected by the Act in order to be eligible for sentencing relief under the First Step Act.

Our client, who received a 30-year sentence for a crack cocaine offense, is one of potentially thousands of inmates who could see their sentences reduced as a result of the First Step Act. The First Step Act represents a major bipartisan breakthrough for criminal justice reform; among other things, it renders the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduces the disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine sentences, applicable to prior cases and sentences, and increases “good time credits” that inmates can earn for good behavior.

The Paul, Weiss team was led by litigation associate Alex Hyman, and included litigation associate Allison Pearl. Litigation partners David Brown and Liza Velazquez and counsel Karen King supervised the matter.