Kyle C. Barry

Kyle C. Barry is director of the State Law Research Initiative and a freelance writer. 

Contributions

Wyoming Supreme Court Signals Openness to Limiting Excessive Punishments

At oral arguments over the constitutionality of mandatory life-without-parole sentences for young adults, several justices suggested the right to be free from “cruel or unusual” punishments might be fundamental. 

Colorado Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to ‘Felony-Murder’ Rule

The court disagreed that life in prison for a murder committed by an accomplice is an unconstitutionally cruel sentence. 

Every State Supreme Court Justice in One Searchable Database

A new resource from the State Law Research Initiative lets users sort the nation’s high court justices by state, professional background, party affiliation, and more.

Massachusetts Rejects Harmful Federal Standard for Evaluating Whether Punishment Is Unconstitutional

The state supreme court’s decision outlawing life without parole for people aged 18 to 20 is notable for both its outcome and the test it used to get there.

What Is ‘Punishment’? How State Courts Can Fix a Destructive Flaw In Eighth Amendment Case Law

Courts should consider prison conditions and collateral consequences — not just prison time — when reviewing whether punishment is excessive under state constitutions.

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