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Tennessee Supreme Court strikes down juvenile homicide sentencing law

The Tennessee Supreme Court struck down a law that mandated juveniles convicted of first-degree murder serve at least 51 years before being eligible for parole Friday.

Tennessee was an outlier in these cases, with most other states allowing juvenile first-degree murderers to be parole eligible after less than 35 years, according to the Associated Press.

“In short, Tennessee is out of step with the rest of the country in the severity of sentences imposed on juvenile homicide offenders,” Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee wrote in the 3-2 majority opinion, according to the Associated Press.

The case that struck down the law was that of Tyshon Booker, a 16-year-old at the time of his arrest and convicted in 2015.