Supreme Court Examines When Juveniles May Be Sentenced to Life Without Parole

The Supreme Court is seen on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020, in Washington. President Donald Trump says he’s planning an aggressive legal strategy to try prevent Pennsylvania from counting mailed ballots that are received in the three days after the election, a matter that could find its way to the high court. (AP Photo/J. … Continued

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed closely divided Tuesday as it heard oral argument in a Mississippi case that tests the constitutional limits of sentencing juveniles convicted of murder to life in prison without parole.

At issue in Monday’s case was whether states may sentence a juvenile convicted of murder to life without parole, without finding that he is so incorrigible that there is no hope for his rehabilitation.

Brett Jones was 15 years old when he stabbed his grandfather to death during an argument about Jones’ girlfriend. He was convicted of murder, and a judge sentenced him to life without parole.