Tarahrick Terry’s case is, broadly, a story about regret and redemption. But it’s also a story about how the specific wording in a law can quickly breed confusion in the courts.
The sentencing rule that treated crack cocaine 100 times worse than powder had been in effect for 20 years by the time Mr. Terry was sentenced in 2008.
Why We Wrote This
The sentencing rule treating crack cocaine as 100 times worse than powder is seen by bipartisan critics as a punitive remnant of the war on drugs. The Supreme Court on Tuesday will hear a case that could deliver a telling blow – or a telling victory – for reform.