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Whether the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) authorizes individual-capacity damages suits against state prison officials, and whether Congress has constitutional power under the Spending Clause to impose such personal liability.

Circuits are split on whether RLUIPA permits suits for money damages against prison officials in their individual capacities. Some circuits allow such suits while others hold that RLUIPA does not clearly authorize individual-capacity damages, raising questions about the scope of Congressional spending power to impose personal liability on non-recipients of federal funds.

Whether a district court may consider factors related to potential errors or unfairness in a defendant's conviction or sentence as part of the 'extraordinary and compelling reasons' analysis for compassionate release under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A).

Circuits disagree on whether compassionate release motions may be used to raise claims that overlap with habeas corpus challenges, such as alleged sentencing errors or constitutional violations in the underlying conviction. Some circuits permit consideration of such factors, while others hold that § 3582(c)(1)(A) cannot be used as a substitute for § 2255 habeas relief.