Supreme Court Juveniles Ruling

© The Washington Post

Justices extend bar on automatic life terms for teenagers - The Supreme Court has ruled that people serving life terms for murders they committed as teenagers must have a chance to seek their freedom.

The justices on Monday voted 6-3 to extend a ruling from 2012 that struck down automatic life terms with no chance of parole for teenage killers. Now, even those who were convicted long ago must be considered for parole or given a new sentence.

The court ruled in the case of Henry Montgomery. He's been imprisoned more than 50 years, since he killed a sheriff's deputy as a 17-year-old in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1963.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion.