FERNANDEZ v. UNITED STATES (Compassionate relief v Habeas)
Podcast: Supreme Court Decision Syllabus (SCOTUS Podcast)Published On: Sat Jun 06 2026
Description: Send us Fan MailHeld: A prisoner who collaterally attacks the validity of his conviction must proceed through 28 U. S. C. §2255, not 18 U. S. C. §3582; the supposed invalidity of a conviction is not among the “extraordinary and compelling reasons” that justify compassionate release. Pp. 5–17. (a) Section 2255 governs collateral attacks on federal convictions and imposes tight procedural constraints, including: a 1-year statute of limitations, §2255(f); a general rule that prisoners get only one shot at collateral relief with narrow exceptions, §§2255(h)(1)–(2); a bar on relitigating claims already raised and rejected on direct review, see Kaufman v. United States, 394 U. S. 217, 227, n. 8; and procedural default rules requiring demonstration of “‘cause’” and “‘prejudice’” or actual innocence for claims not raised on direct review, Bousley v. United States, 523 U. S. 614, 622.Support the show
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