Trump signs the First Step Act, letting prisoners file compassionate release motions directly without BOP approval

President Trump signed the First Step Act of 2018, the most significant federal criminal justice reform legislation in a generation. Section 603 of the Act amended 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) to allow prisoners to file compassionate release motions directly in federal court after exhausting administrative remedies with BOP or waiting 30 days — eliminating BOP's exclusive gatekeeping role that had blocked most requests since 1948. The Act also retroactively applied the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to reduce crack cocaine sentences.