This man is a bus driver and grandfather. A Supreme Court ruling could reimprison him

Anthony Bailey, 61, holds one of his grandchildren in this May 2025 photo. Via Anthony Bailey/Family hide caption toggle caption Via Anthony Bailey/Family Two years ago, a judge freed Anthony Bailey after 27 years in the federal penitentiary, giving him a second chance at life. And Bailey has been making the most of his early release. Between long hours driving a city bus in Indianapolis, attending barbecues and playing card games with family, Bailey has developed deep roots in his community. Now, after a ruling from the Supreme Court and a legal move by the Justice Department, Bailey, 61, is facing a return to prison in a matter of weeks. "I'm hoping and praying that everything turn out and I get my life back," Bailey said in an interview. "Today, right now, I'm a better person — I'm a productive citizen, I work hard." Bailey's case is one of about a dozen that could be directly affected by a Supreme Court ruling in late May that limited how prisoners can use the compassionate release program to get out early. The high court found that the compassionate release program, designed for extraordinary or compelling circumstances, is supposed to cover such things as severe illness or old age. The court majority said inmates serving much longer sentences than the punishments they would receive today were not automatically eligible for the program. Retired federal Judge John Gleeson disagrees with that ruling. …