Miller v. Alabama

Linked with:

• Jackson v. Hobbs

Holding: The Eighth Amendment prohibits a sentencing scheme that requires life in prison without the possibility of parole for juvenile homicide offenders.

Plain English Summary: In a series of decisions dating back to 1988, the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that youths under age 18 who commit crimes must not necessarily get as severe a punishment as adults who committed the same kind of crimes. Among other rulings, the Court has forbidden the death penalty for minors who commit murders, and it has barred a sentence of life in prison without a chance of release for minors who commit crimes in which the victim is not killed. In this new ruling, the Court avoiding imposing such a flat ban on life without parole for a minor who commits murder, but it did rule out such a sentence as a mandatory requirement in all such cases. It said, though, that it does not expect very many youths under age 18 to get such a sentence that essentially would require them to stay in prison until they die.

Judgment: Reversed and remanded, 5-4, in an opinion by Justice Kagan on June 25, 2012. Justice Breyer filed a concurring opinion, in which Justice Sotomayor joined. Chief Justice Roberts filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justices Scalia, Thomas and Alito joined. Justice Thomas filed a dissenting opinion, in which SCALIA, J., joined. Justice Alito, filed a dissenting opinion, in which Justice Scalia joined.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

• Academic highlight: Drinan on the implementation of Graham and Miller (Amanda Frost)
• Opinion recap: Narrow ruling on young murderers' sentences (Lyle Denniston)
• Eighth Amendment prohibits mandatory life without parole for juveniles (Tejinder Singh)
• Argument recap: Compromise on youth sentences? (Lyle Denniston)
• Argument preview: Youthful crimes, life sentences (Lyle Denniston)
• SCOTUS for law students: Defining the contours of the Eighth Amendment (Stephen Wermiel)
• New review on youths' punishment (Lyle Denniston)

Briefs and Documents

• Brief for Evan Miller
• Reply Brief for Evan Miller

• Brief for Former Juvenile Court Judges
• Brief for The American Psychological Association et al.
•  Brief for Amnesty International, et al.
• Brief for Certain Family Members of Victims Killed by Youths
• Brief of Jeffrey Fagan et al.
• Brief for J. Lawrence Aber et al.
• Brief for Professor of Law and his Students from the Moritz College of Law 
• Brief for Juvenile Law Center et al.
• Brief for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund et al.

• Brief for Alabama

• Brief for Michigan et al.
• Brief for National District Attorneys Association
• Brief for the National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Lifers

• Opinion below (Ala. Ct. Crim. App.)
• Petition for certiorari
• Brief in opposition
• Petitioner’s reply