---
title: "First Step Act § 404"
citation: "First Step Act of 2018, Pub. L. No. 115-391, § 404, 132 Stat. 5194, 5222"
authority_id: "AUTH-PL-115-391-SEC-404"
authority_type: "statute"
jurisdiction: "federal_nationwide"
precedential_status: "binding_statute"
official_url: "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-115publ391/pdf/PLAW-115publ391.pdf"
url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-PL-115-391-SEC-404/"
legal_review: "2026-08-25"
links_checked: "2026-10-15"
links_available: 1
links_checked_count: 1
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# First Step Act § 404

## Propositions supported

- Covered-offense definition.
- Authorized movants and sentencing court.
- “As if” reduction authority.
- Prior-sentence and prior-merits-review bars.
- No mandatory reduction.

## Official source

<https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-115publ391/pdf/PLAW-115publ391.pdf> at 132 Stat. 5222.

Current codification note: <https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2024-title21/pdf/USCODE-2024-title21-chap13-subchapI.pdf>


## Used in

- [First Step Act § 404 — Retroactive Fair Sentencing Act Relief](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/70-sentence-modification/first-step-act-section-404.md)
- [Rules 35 and 36 — Sentence Correction, Assistance, Record Error, and Appeals](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/70-sentence-modification/rules-35-36-and-modification-appeals.md)
- [Supreme Court and Nationwide Floor](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/supreme-court.md)
- [First Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/first-circuit.md)
- [Second Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/second-circuit.md)
- [Third Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/third-circuit.md)
- [Fourth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/fourth-circuit.md)
- [Fifth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/fifth-circuit.md)
- [Sixth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/sixth-circuit.md)
- [Seventh Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/seventh-circuit.md)
- [Eighth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/eighth-circuit.md)
- [Ninth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/ninth-circuit.md)
- [Tenth Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/tenth-circuit.md)
- [Eleventh Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/eleventh-circuit.md)
- [D.C. Circuit Overlay](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/95-circuit-overlays/dc-circuit.md)