United States Supreme Court

In an action by a petitioner who was sentenced to life-without-parole, seeking state collateral relief, and arguing that Miller v. Alabama, 567 U. S. ___, ___ (Miller) rendered his mandatory life-without-parole sentence illegal, the Louisiana Supreme Court's denial of his application for a supervisory writ, concluding that Miller does not have retroactive effect in cases on state collateral review, is reversed where: 1) the U.S. Supreme Court has jurisdiction to decide whether the Louisiana Supreme Court correctly refused to give retroactive effect to Miller; and 2) Miller's prohibition on mandatory life without parole for juvenile offenders announced a new substantive rule that, under the Constitution, is retroactive in cases on state collateral review.

Appellate Information

• Published 2016/01/25

Judges

• KENNEDY

Court

• United States Supreme Court

Counsel