A 90-year-old was serving life for marijuana despite serious illness. On Tuesday, the day after the formal appeal mandate was transmitted to his court, Reeves issued a new opinion approving compassionate release. She said it is uncommon for inmates who are denied compassionate release to win on appeal. Reeves, who handled his case, was required to give him a life sentence because he had previous drug convictions. Guernsey, the law professor, said the vast disparity in grant rates between courts "really calls into question the equity of compassionate release."

Source: CNN December 17, 2021 02:45 UTC