Whether the court of appeals violated the defendant's Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection

QUESTION PRESENTED Whether the court of appeals violated the defendant’s Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection where the district court in a motion for compassionate release relied on the existence of a plea agreement to deny the motion when the plea agreement did not address compassionate release. i STATEMENT PURSUANT TO RULE 14(1)(b)(iii) This case originated in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina: United States v. Bond, No. 4:16-cr-00030-FL-2. Judgment entered July 9, 2021. It was appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit: United States v. Bond, No. 21-7066. Judgment entered January 3, 2023. A petition for rehearing and rehearing en banc was denied January 31, 2023. ii