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Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal
The Court ruled that the religious use of a controlled substance was protected from federal prosecution under RFRA.
United States v. Georgia
The Court ruled the ADA applies to state prisons when constitutional rights are violated. This protects incarcerated individuals with disabilities, including those with substance use disorders.
Gonzales v. Oregon
The Court held the Attorney General cannot ban doctors from prescribing drugs for state-authorized physician-assisted suicide. This ruling affirmed Oregon's right to allow the practice.
Development of the Adolescent Brain: Implications for Executive Function and Social Cognition
Research indicates that the adolescent brain undergoes significant development. The prefrontal cortex shows increased myelination, enhancing neural transmission speed, and changes in synaptic density through proliferation and pruning.
Earlier Development of the Accumbens Relative to Orbitofrontal Cortex Might Underlie Risk-Taking Behavior in Adolescents
Adolescents show increased brain activity in reward-related regions and less mature activity in impulse control regions compared to children and adults. This may explain their heightened risk-taking behaviors.
Scarver v Litscher
Prison officials were not liable for an inmate's worsened mental illness after solitary confinement. The court found no deliberate indifference, as officials lacked clear prior knowledge of the specific harm.
State v. Paiz
The court upheld testimony about PTSD symptoms after sexual abuse. It affirmed that qualified experts can explain treatment-based diagnoses.
Commonwealth v. May
The court ruled it was an error to exclude evidence of the defendant's abusive childhood during sentencing. This evidence could have influenced the death penalty decision.
Developmental trajectories of legal socialization among serious adolescent offenders
This study explores how adolescents develop beliefs about law and legal authorities. It examines legal socialization over time in young offenders to understand how these attitudes change from late adolescence to early adulthood.
Greeno v. Daley
The court found that failing to treat an inmate's worsening ulcer and denying proper diet or specialist care could demonstrate deliberate indifference to serious medical needs.
The Enduring Effects of Abuse and Related Adverse Experiences in Childhood: a Convergence of Evidence from Neurobiology and Epidemiology
Early life stress, such as abuse, can cause lasting changes in brain function and structure. These changes impact health and quality of life throughout a person's life.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center; The Center on Children and Families; The Central Juvenile Defender Center; The ChildLaw Center et al., as Amici Curiae in Support of the Respondent-Appellee
The EJJ provision is void for vagueness because it fails to adequately define prohibited conduct, harming youth and hindering effective rehabilitation. Separate hearings for EJJ and transfer motions also undermine juvenile court goals.
Brief of Juvenile Law Center as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioner-Appellant
The petitioner argues ineffective counsel failed to suppress her confession. Counsel conceded voluntariness, despite police not advising the then 14-year-old she would be prosecuted as an adult.
Addiction Specialists, Inc. v. Township of Hampton
The Third Circuit ruled Hampton's zoning illegally excluded a methadone clinic, violating the ADA. The case was sent back for action to allow the clinic.
Cognitive and Affective Development in Adolescence
Adolescence is a vulnerable period due to differing maturation rates of brain systems controlling emotion, behavior, and cognition. This creates risks and opportunities for reorganization of regulatory systems.