"This week, the Supreme Court took another step — albeit a small one — toward restricting the severity of punishments courts can impose on juvenile offenders. In a 5-4 ruling, in which Justice Anthony Kennedy sided with the court's liberal wing, the justices ruled that juveniles convicted of murder may not be given mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said ""a judge or jury must have the opportunity to consider mitigating circumstances before imposing the harshest possible penalty"" on minors under the age of 18."
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