Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/20pdf/20-5904_i4dk.pdf
Page Number: 12.0

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TERRY v. UNITED STATES 

Opinion of SOTOMAYOR, J. 

I write separately to clarify the consequences of today’s de-
cision.  While  the  Fair  Sentencing  Act  of  2010  and  First
Step Act of 2018 brought us a long way toward eradicating
the vestiges of the 100-to-1 crack-to-powder disparity, some
people have been left behind.  

Among them are people like petitioner Tarahrick Terry, 
who was convicted under 21 U. S. C. §841(b)(1)(C) for pos-
sessing  with  intent  to  distribute  a  small  amount  of  crack 
cocaine  and  was  sentenced  as  a  career  offender.  If  Terry
had  been  convicted  under  §841(b)(1)(A)  or  §841(b)(1)(B),
which require larger quantities of drugs, he would be eligi-
ble for resentencing under the First Step Act (even if sen-
tenced as a career offender).  Similarly, despite being con-
victed  under  subparagraph  (C),  if  Terry’s  Sentencing
Guidelines  range  had  been  calculated  like  that  of  a  non-
career offender, he would have been eligible for a sentence
reduction when the United States Sentencing Commission
retroactively  reduced  the  amount  of  crack  cocaine  neces-
sary  to  trigger  higher  Guidelines  ranges.  But  because 
Terry was both convicted under subparagraph (C) and sen-
tenced as a career offender, he has never had a chance to 
ask for a sentence that reflects today’s understanding of the 
lesser severity of his crime.  Absent action from the political 
branches, he never will. 

I 
Section 841(b) provides three tiers of statutory “[p]enal-
ties” for federal drug offenses under §841(a).  As a baseline, 
§841(b)(1)(C) specifies a maximum penalty of 20 years im-
prisonment,  with  no  mandatory  minimum.
  Sections 
841(b)(1)(A)  and  (B)  then  authorize  enhanced  penalty
ranges, including mandatory minimums, for those dealing 
in higher quantities of narcotics. 

—————— 
the disparity were introduced almost every year from 1993 to 2009.  Yet 
Congress did nothing until 2010.