Jackson v. Norris

Defendant was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The Supreme Court subsequently affirmed the circuit court's denial of Defendant's petition for writ of habeas corpus, concluding that Defendant's sentence did not violate the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments even though Defendant was only fourteen years old at the time he committed the crimes. The U.S. Supreme Court remanded the case, holding that Arkansas's sentencing scheme violated the Eighth Amendment because it imposed a mandatory sentence of life without parole upon Defendant despite his having been under age eighteen at the time he committed capital murder. On remand, the Supreme Court reversed the denial of the petition for writ of habeas corpus and issued the writ. Remanded for resentencing. View "Jackson v. Norris" on Justia Law