Supreme Court hears First Step Act dispute over prisoner's halfway house transfer

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in Maxwell v. Dinis, weighing whether federal prisoner William Maxwell can use a habeas corpus petition to seek transfer from a Texas low-security prison to a halfway house or home confinement under the First Step Act. His attorney, Masha Hansford, argued the lower court wrongly limited habeas challenges to full-release claims.

The 2018 First Step Act lets inmates earn time credits toward early transfer from secure custody. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson questioned whether the court should issue a narrow ruling, while court-appointed counsel Brian Barnes argued habeas is the wrong vehicle for a conditions-of-confinement claim. The case follows Rutherford v. United States, a 6-3 ruling this year limiting retroactive sentencing changes for compassionate release. A decision is expected by June 2027.