Fernandez v. United States
Decided May 28, 2026. Amy Coney Barrett delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 24-556 · 608 U.S. ___ (2026)
Holding
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.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 8–1.
Majority · 6
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Clarence Thomas
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh
- Amy Coney Barrett · delivered the opinion of the Court
Concurring · 2
- Sonia Sotomayor · filed an opinion concurring in the judgment
- Elena Kagan
Dissenting · 1
- Ketanji Brown Jackson · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Amy Coney Barrett’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2026). Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).