diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-03-29-11-55-06.bpo-40645.PhaT-B.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-03-29-11-55-06.bpo-40645.PhaT-B.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
diff --git a/Modules/_hashopenssl.c b/Modules/_hashopenssl.c
@@ -865,7 +865,7 @@ EVP_new_impl(PyObject *module, PyObject *name_obj, PyObject *data_obj,
/*[clinic end generated code: output=ddd5053f92dffe90 input=c24554d0337be1b0]*/
{
    Py_buffer view = { 0 };
-    PyObject *ret_obj;
    char *name;
    const EVP_MD *digest = NULL;

@@ -879,13 +879,14 @@ EVP_new_impl(PyObject *module, PyObject *name_obj, PyObject *data_obj,

    digest = py_digest_by_name(name);
    if (digest == NULL) {
-        return NULL;
    }

    ret_obj = EVPnew(module, digest,
                     (unsigned char*)view.buf, view.len,
                     usedforsecurity);

    if (data_obj)
        PyBuffer_Release(&view);
    return ret_obj;