Leading advocates for criminal justice reform in the Senate are pushing back against Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsRoy Moore sues Alabama over COVID-19 restrictions GOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs MORE’s order directing federal prosecutors to charge defendants with the most serious crimes possible.

In a letter to Sessions this week, Sens. Mike Lee Michael (Mike) Shumway LeeBipartisan representatives demand answers on expired surveillance programs McConnell shores up GOP support for coronavirus package McConnell tries to unify GOP MORE (R-Utah), Rand Paul Randal (Rand) Howard PaulThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Rand Paul says he can't judge 'guilt or innocence' in Breonna Taylor case Overnight Health Care: Health officials tell public to trust in science | Despair at CDC under Trump influence | A new vaccine phase 3 trial starts MORE (R-Ky.), Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Trump previews SCOTUS nominee as 'totally brilliant' Feinstein 'surprised and taken aback' by suggestion she's not up for Supreme Court fight Grand jury charges no officers in Breonna Taylor death MORE (D-Ill.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) questioned Sessions about his new policy.

“The Department’s policy is based on the premise that ‘it is of the utmost importance to enforce the law fairly and consistently.’ We agree,” the senators said.

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“The problem is that, in many cases, current law requires nonviolent first-time offenders to receive longer sentences than violent criminals.”

It’s longer sentences like these, they said, that undermine respect for our legal system, ruin families and have a corrosive effect on communities.

Sessions’s marching orders marked a stark turnaround from the Obama administration, which urged prosecutors to reserve the harshest charges for violent criminals and the leaders of drug cartels.

In their letter, the lawmakers asked Sessions if he concluded the previous policy resulted in an unfair application of the law, if he conducted a review to study the effect of the proposed changes and if there are any criminal offenses carrying mandatory minimums that he views are unfair.

The senators also wanted to know how the department will decide whether to grant prosecutors’ requests to deviate from the order and if fewer cases will receive the same individualized assessments prosecutors were formerly expected to conduct before charging a defendant.

Sessions was asked to respond within 30 days.