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Young v. State
The Alaska Supreme Court found the prior legal test for eyewitness identification unreliable. It adopted a new standard based on modern scientific understanding of memory to better protect due process rights.
Massey v. Commonwealth
The court ruled the victim's testimony was admissible. Expert evidence showed trauma can fragment memories, explaining delayed recall of sexual assault events.
Adolescent Impatience Decreases with Increased Frontostriatal Connectivity
Adolescence is a period of increased impulsivity, which is essential for developing adult skills but also linked to risky behaviors.
Age Differences in the Impact of Peers on Adolescents' and Adults' Neural Response to Reward
Adolescents take more risks when peers are present, even without direct peer pressure. Research suggests this peer effect in adolescents is linked to heightened reward sensitivity, impacting how their brains process rewards.
Beyond Simple Models of Self-control to Circuit-based Accounts of Adolescent Behavior
The teen brain isn't "defective" but is shaped by biology and experiences during adolescence. This period sees high sensation-seeking and increased mental health issues, driven by complex developmental changes.
Pollard v. Drummond
The court found that firing a coal miner for prescribed methadone use, without assessing his individual risk, might be disability discrimination. This raised questions about whether he posed a direct threat.
State v. O’Dell
The Washington Supreme Court affirmed a child rape conviction but ruled trial courts can consider a defendant's youth as a mitigating factor in sentencing.
Horsley v. State
The Florida Supreme Court found a juvenile's mandatory life without parole sentence unconstitutional. The case was returned for resentencing consistent with juvenile sentencing laws.
State v. Seats
The Iowa Supreme Court sent the case of a 17-year-old convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole back for resentencing. This decision followed U.S. and Iowa Supreme Court rulings on cruel and unusual punishment.
State v. Riley
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled a 100-year sentence for a juvenile was unconstitutional. The court mandated considering age and rehabilitation potential in discretionary sentencing for minors.
Casiano v. Comm’r of Corr.
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that Miller v. Alabama, which bars mandatory juvenile life without parole, applies retroactively. This means juveniles sentenced before Miller could have their life sentences reviewed.
State v. Houston
The Utah Supreme Court upheld juvenile life without parole sentences, finding they do not violate the Eighth Amendment. The court acknowledged potential for rehabilitation but noted severe crimes and individual circumstances.
Brain Science and the Theory of Juvenile Mens Rea
This article argues that the legal standard for mental state in criminal law should be updated for juvenile offenders. It suggests considering scientific evidence about how adolescents' brains differ from adults'.
McFadden v. United States
The Supreme Court ruled the government must prove a defendant knew a substance was controlled to prosecute under the Analogue Act.
Cannabis Action Coalition v. City of Kent
The court affirmed Kent's ban on medical cannabis collective gardens, holding that state zoning law does not preempt municipal authority to regulate them.