Ruled that mandatory LWOP sentence under aggravated murder statute is unconstitutional as applied to 19– and 20-year old defendants.
A new law review article offers guidance for state appellate judges interpreting their Eighth Amendment cognates for the first time.
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.
The court has perhaps never been friendlier to criminal justice reform.
A handful of state supreme courts have announced broader sentencing protections for young people than available under the federal Constitution.
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