The highest court in the land heard opening arguments Tuesday in a case that could lead to the early release of thousands of inmates dealt mandatory life sentences as minors.
While the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that sentencing minors to life without parole is a violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment, the ruling didn’t apply retroactively. In Montgomery v. Louisiana, the court will determine whether or not it should.
The case was brought by Henry Montgomery, a 69-year-old who was sentenced in 1963 to life in prison at the age of 17 for a murder conviction.
The court’s decision could affect the sentences of roughly 2,100 convicted juvenile murderers currently serving life without parole in US prisons.
